MANILA — Cardo remained the far-and-away king of Philippine TV on Monday as he defeated, yet again, a new challenger in terms of nationwide viewership.

“FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” which for over four years has followed the adventures of the heroic Cardo (Coco Martin), was unmoved from the top spot against the debut of “Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday.”

ABS-CBN’s primetime stalwart, in fact, registered double the viewership of its latest rival, with 33.8% versus 16.7%, according to Kantar Media.

Throughout its top-rating run since September 2015, “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” has made a mark on Philippine pop culture, with Cardo’s seeming “immortality” spawning memes online and references in other programs.

In terms of enduring relevance and unwavering viewership, the Dreamscape Entertainment production is unparalleled — a fact even stars of its former rival programs have acknowledged, with the likes of Dennis Trillo and Dingdong Dantes congratulating Martin on the show’s continued success.

With portrayed conflicts as grave as the protecting a fictional president from assassination, Martin has teased that “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” is poised to go international this year, with the inclusion of foreign actors and the filming of scenes overseas, on top of larger-scale action sequences.