Kapamilya star Coco Martin in 'Juan dela Cruz' 

Zsa Zsa thrilled with superhero soap

MANILA -- "Juan dela Cruz," the everyman-superhero series starring Coco Martin is still neck-and-neck with "Ina, Kapatid, Anak" as the No. 1 TV show in the country.

"Juan dela Cruz," however, has managed to overtake the drama series starring Kim Chiu and Maja Salvador, based on the latest TV ratings data from multinational research group Kantar Media.

On Tuesday, Juan dela Cruz's discovery of his capabilities as an "aswang hunter" had viewers glued to their TV screens. The February 19 episode of "Juan dela Cruz" registered the series' all-time highest nationwide TV rating of 40.5%, since it started airing early this month.

"Ina, Kaptid, Anak," meanwhile, trails closely in second place with 39.9%, also according to Kantar Media.

Asked about the high ratings of "Juan dela Cruz," actress Zsa Zsa Padilla, who portrays the queen of the "aswang" race in the series, said she is thrilled to be part of the Kapamilya project. She also praised Martin as a co-actor.

"It's really a blessing for all of us. Natutuwa kaming lahat na tinatangkilik ito ng mga tao. Marami pa akong kamalditahan doon... Everyone is a pleasure to work with, especially si Coco dahil ilang beses ko na siya nakatrabaho, at magaan siya katrabaho," she said.

"Juan dela Cruz" and "Ina, Kapatid, Anak" air back-to-back after "TV Patrol" in ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida block.

Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes, more than AGB Nielsen's 1,980 homes that are only based in urban areas.

Kantar Media's panel represents 100% of the total Philippine TV viewing population, while AGB Nielsen reportedly represents only 57% of the Philippine TV viewing population.

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