In the same year, Magdangal portrayed a Chinese girl trying to escape an arranged marriage in the action romantic-comedy film "" (2000), alongside Robin Padilla. The film was critically and commercially successful earning Magdangal the citation "Princess of RP Movies" in the 31st Box Office Entertainment Awards. In television, she led the comedy sitcom "Arriba, Arriba!" (2000). The show was consistently ranked within the top 10 highest-rating television programs during its run. However, after two years, Magdangal was replaced by Heart Evangelista when she started appearing in rival networks' programs as a freelancer.