11/06/2003
Jerry Yan gets frenzied welcome in Malacañang

The usually sedate halls of Malacañang yesterday rang with
frenzied cries of welcome from hundreds of people working or visiting at the
Palace as Taiwan pop star Jerry Yan, known as Dau Ming Se in the
television series "Meteor Garden," paid a courtesy call on President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The usually sedate halls of Malacañang yesterday rang with
frenzied cries of welcome from hundreds of people working or visiting at the
Palace as Taiwan pop star Jerry Yan, known as Dau Ming Se in the
television series "Meteor Garden," paid a courtesy call on President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The six-foot-two heartthrob of the "F4" band got his first fanatical
welcome from over 300 awe struck Filipino supporters shortly after
landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

It was originally planned to be a simple and closed-door courtesy
call but President Arroyo opened Malacañang to several young
cancer patients, relatives of Cabinet officials, and over 300 Palace
employees for picture-taking with the international celebrity.

Mrs. Arroyo received Yan and his entourage in the Music Room of
Malacañang shortly after 2 p.m. First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo
tagged along.

Yan is in Manila to launch his endorsement for a local clothing
apparel.

Invited by the President, philanthropist and renowned hair stylist
Ricky Reyes took five young cancer patients from the Philippine
General Hospital and nine other orphans for the meeting with Yan.

The Asian celebrity accompanied by the President later proceeded to
the Ceremonial Hall where his swarming fans among the Office of the
President (OP) as well a throng of Filipino media persons were
assembled.

Pandemonium struck when Yan, garbed in a black polo shirt, entered
the hall.

The crowd mobbed Yan, frantically taking pictures and asking for
autographs. The picture-taking session had to be suspended
momentarily to restore order.

The Presidential Security Group (PSG) men immediately whisked the
President away from the hall while Yan was escorted to a nearby room.

Protocol Officer Menchu Dulay, who constantly reminded the crowd to
maintain discipline, blamed the hordes of fans for Yan's sudden
departure.

Minutes later, Yan returned and gamely posed for more pictures to a
more disciplined crowd.

Several fans said they felt they were "in heaven" and "on cloud nine"
upon seeing their favorite F4 member.

Journalists covering the event described Yan as "moreno, very tall,
and shy."

In an interview, the First Gentleman said the President welcomed Yan
for coming to Manila and she affirmed his popularity among Filipinos.
The Taiwanese lad, in turn, thanked the President, he said. "He spoke
little English," Arroyo said of the actor.

He said politics was not discussed during Yan's courtesy call with
the President.

Yan departs for Taiwan this weekend, but will return to Manila for
the ABS CBN's concert at The Fort in Taguig on Nov. 29.

He will perform alongside fellow F4 member Vic Zhuo and Barbie Xu,
his leading lady in Meteor Garden. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)

At NAIA

Actor-singer Jerry Yan, one of the stars of the popular television
series Meteor Garden, planed in yesterday afternoon from Taipei,
Taiwan, amid close airport security.

Yan, whose complete name is Yan Cheng Xu, plays the character of Dao
Ming Shi in Meteor Garden. He is in the country to endorse a line of
apparel of one of the country's major ready-to-wear manufacturing
company.

Yan, a member of the popular group F4, later paid a courtesy call on
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo through the Office of First
Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.

Brig. Gen. Angel G. Atutubo, Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(NAIA) assistant general manager for security and emergency services,
said they provided uncommon arrival arrangements for the 26-year-old
celebrity to prevent unruly fans from disrupting airport operations
to see their idol.

"We allowed Philippine Airlines flight PR-897 to park and deplane its
passengers in a remote parking area away from its usual designated
gate to isolate VIPs and maintain the normal flow of passengers at
NAIA terminal 2," Atutubo said.

Yan stepped down under a heavy downpour from the service stairs of
Philippine Airlines flight PR-897 from Taipei. He had off-white
pants, shoes, and vest worn over a tight gray short-sleeve round
necked shirt.

Yan gave a warm be-dimpled smile to a blushing female well-wisher who
welcomed him with a garland of sampaguitas.

Yan and his party of six had for their security a phalanx of airport
police personnel temporarily plucked from less sensitive posts around
the terminal complex.

From the airport, he took a private helicopter to the Manila
Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.

A number of excited fans trooped to the airport as early as dawn but
were disappointed by the tight security set-up that prevented them
from seeing Yan.

Local and foreign media had to be taken inside the highly secured
ramp area by buses and made to wait on bleachers to prevent them from
moving around the area.

They were provided a vantage point close enough to take video and
photo shots of the Taiwanese superstar as he stepped down the plane's
service stairs. No interviews were allowed.

Last month, Vanness Wu and Ken Chu, two other Meteor Garden stars,
performed in a concert at the Ultra Stadium in Pasig.

Yan and another F4 member, Vic Zhou, will return to the country to
join ABS-CBN talents in a concert at The Fort on Nov. 29.

In Meteor Garden, Yan is the leader of F4, a group made up of the
four richest boys at Ying De University. Shan Cai is his love
interest in the series. (Ronniel C. de Guzman)

source: http://www.mb.com.ph/news.php?
search=yes&art=41964§=1&fname=MAIN/2003-11/MN03110641964o.txt