16. LEA SALONGA, International actress and singer

v CONTENT  I CELEBRITY
Lea Salonga is the only Filipina to make it in Broadway and Hollywood at the same time. A Tony award winner for her performance in the musical "Miss Saigon," Lea has penetrated U.S. primetime television with a role in the award-winning hit show "E.R." Sold out concerts and stage plays greet every homecoming performance of the biggest star the country has produced.

17. LIZA GOKONGWEI, Publisher, Summit Publishing

v CONTENT  « STAR MAKER  µ DISTRIBUTION
The second daughter of taipan John Gokongwei has used her passion for publishing to bring the glamor of media into the family's conservative business empire. Her magazines FHM, Preview, Cosmopolitan, and YES, are best sellers in their respective markets and exposure on the covers and pages of these publications are sought after by talent managers everywhere. Summit Publishing is a marketing success story that proves again that a cleverly packaged mix of celebrity hype, glamor, skin, and gossip can deliver the demographics advertisers look for.

18. VENUS NAVALTA, Managing director, Universal McCaan

l MONEY
Navalta is the only person on the list least associated with the world of the stars. But as top honcho of the biggest media buying company in the country, she spends over P3.5 billion in ads each year — about enough to keep the entertainment industry alive. Sophisticated research tools introduced by media buyers like Navalta have changed the rules of mass-market programming and have sent publishers and producers scrambling for niche-market products to offer. Today buyers are less impressed with general ratings and circulation figures and are more interested in reaching specific target markets to give their clients more bang for their advertising buck.

19. MARILEN DINGLASAN, Chairperson, Movie and TV Review Classification Board

¤ POLITICS
Little is known about Marilen Dinglasan among industry insiders except for her brief stint in a show band and an equally short-lived role in the defunct "Gloria Labandera" campaign. While her credentials as an artist are questionable, her proximity to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo isn't. By invoking the moral responsibility of the State, the president's classmate at the conservative Assumption Convent has the power to ban, cut, and send producers and artists packing.

20. MANUEL PANGILINAN, CEO, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

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The telecoms boss knows compelling content is at the center of his convergence strategy. Without it, PLDT's huge investments in satellite and mobile technology and fiber optic networks are impressive but empty pipelines. Pangilinan's strategy is to get music, video, games, and news onto the cell phones and computers of subscribers. The aborted purchase of a stake in GMA last year would have created the country's best-positioned media company, but with cash flow problems, Pangilinan is content to maximize his existing properties like NBC radio and MTV Philippines.

21. HENRY SY, Mall magnate

µ DISTRIBUTION  l MONEY
Retail and real-estate taipan Henry Sy has turned his shoe stores into the integrated entertainment complexes of the present. SM malls nationwide are the largest movie theater network, but more than that, they are the Pinoy equivalent of the Disney theme parks: a one-stop shop for gaming, dining, shopping, concerts, sports, and just plain malling — the ultimate three-dimensional entertainment experience.

22. DANTE ANG, Chairman, IBC Network

v CONTENT  µ DISTRIBUTION  ¤ POLITICS
As personal publicist and emissary of President Arroyo, Ang has gone beyond manipulating the presidential image to influencing content that comes out of government- owned broadcasting networks. He now heads the third most-watched television station and has used his closeness to the president to command the attention of industry players.

23. RAMON REVILLA JR., Actor and chairman, Video Regulatory Board

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Bong Revilla is using the power of celebrity and mixing it with action-star tactics to intimidate and crack down on piracy in the country — one of the reasons cited for the slump in the movie and recording industries. He has been able to bust a few syndicates but will need to go beyond photo opportunities if the government intends to win the war against pirates. Success in his campaign, though, could win for him his father's seat in the Senate as well as the support of film producers and recording executives bleeding from losses to piracy.

24. CARLITOS SIGUION-REYNA, Filmmaker and president, Directors Guild of the Philippines

v CONTENT  ¤ POLITICS  I CELEBRITY
Carlitos Siguion-Reyna is an outspoken voice for artistic freedom in the increasingly conservative moral environment imposed by Malacañang. The controversial banning of the film "Live Sex" by the Palace two years ago showed the political muscle and warm bodies the influential Directors Guild can muster in its campaign against the so-called moral majority. The collective filmography of Siguion-Reyna and his fellow director-activists Joey Reyes and Joel Lamangan alone includes some of the most critically acclaimed works in local cinema, a distinction that has given their cause credibility.

25. JUNE TORREJON-RUFINO, President, Professional Artists and Managers, Inc.

« STAR MAKER
Rufino's PAMI often operates like the Mafia. It's one for all and all for one, and when one manager is hurt, their organization comes together to retaliate. PAMI has the power to freeze artists, boycott producers, and sabotage projects — proof that despite the star-driven industry, it is the star makers and not the stars themselves that wield the real power.