Ogie, Rob and the big hits

Way back in 1989, Ogie Alcasid was a young and promising singer, songwriter and actor. He had a single Peksman and a possible role in a TV sitcom where he was in a love triangle with Janno Gibbs and Manilyn Reynes. 

Then he got the news. Luckily or unfortunately (it really depends on how you look at it), it seemed like he was going to get the chance to be part of a love team. Not the third wheel anymore, but half of the pair.

Janno had suddenly gotten married to Bing Loyzaga. That left Janno’s screen partner Manilyn high and dry. A replacement was needed fast and Ogie seemed like the best candidate. No problem at all with Ogie.

Because he and Manilyn were both singers, it was thought that it would be nice if Ogie could record a song for Manilyn about the situation they found themselves in.

Nothing beats the power of a beautiful old song. Rob Deniel is also learning this lesson now. He just dropped a new single and it is already No. 6, as of this writing, in the Spotify hit list in only less than a week. It is a cover of Ikaw Sana, a song composed and popularized by Ogie.

Ogie was then working on his first album for OctoArts International and Aaron Paul del Rosario was one of the songwriters involved with the production. One day, while at the recording studio, he gave Ogie a cassette tape containing the demo of his new composition. The title was Nandito Ako.

I do not know what happened to his proposed team-up with Manilyn but Ogie recorded Nandito Ako and what followed next is now history.  The song became a huge hit and was even named Song of the Year. Best of all, it got Ogie off to stardom.

Fast forward to 2025 or 36 years later. After countless successes as a singer, songwriter, actor, producer and as one of the country’s biggest stars, Ogie has reached the point in his life when he is being constantly paid tribute or conferred honors.

One of these was the KDR Icon of Musical Excellence from the 10th Wish Music Awards held last January. Wish 107.5 of the famous Wish Bus is this FM radio station that has become an important mover for hit songs. If you want a leg up for your song, perform it in the Wish Bus and hope that it gets into the Wish playlist.

To pay tribute to Ogie, Wish invited the young singer and songwriter Rob Deniel. Rob was introduced as the kid who composed songs using his mobile phone five years ago. The nice thing about his works is that they turn out to be hits. Starting with Ulap in 2021, he has now built a solid catalogue of originals. Among these are Miss Miss, Kundiman and Rom Com.

Rob performed a medley of Ikaw Sana and Nandito Ako at the Wish Music Awards. He rocked both songs in great voice and with so much feeling. Ogie loved it. So did millions who watched Rob’s performance on YouTube and Facebook. In no time at all, it had racked up ten million views and is still soaring.

The great thing about this is that Rob has not only been discovered by Ogie’s fans from over the years, Ogie himself has gained new followers from the streaming generation. In fact, his original recording of Nandito Ako has entered both the Spotify and Billboard charts. 

It can be said again that as always, nothing beats the power of a beautiful old song like Nandito Ako on the rebound. Rob is also learning this lesson now. He just dropped a new single and it is already No. 6, as of this writing in the Spotify hit list in only less than a week. It is a cover of Ikaw Sana, a song composed and popularized by Ogie Alcasid.