Ice Seguerra’s Pagdating ng Panahon, more affecting 25 years later

The year was 1987, and the Little Miss Philippines contest in the noontime TV variety show “Eat Bulaga” was reigning high in the ratings. Unknown to the viewers and everybody involved with it, those numbers were set to shoot up even higher. Even go through the roof. And this was thanks to Aiza Seguerra.

Aiza, all of four years old, was a Little Miss Philippines contestant. She did not win the title. Bad. But she was set to win more in the years that followed from other sources. Good. It soon turned out that not only was she one of the cutest kids to grace local television, she was also one of the smartest. And to top it all, she came loaded with huge doses of mass appeal.

In the ensuing years after that memorable TV debut, (memorable indeed, from then on, almost every kid I met, followed the title with the word “bow” when about to recite a poem. Aiza started that), she became the top kid actor in the country. She was a regular on “Eat Bulaga” and in other top-raters like “OK Ka Fairy Ko” and “E Kasi Bata” and box-office hits like “OK Ka Fairy Ko,” the movie series “Super Inday and the Golden Bibe” and others. She also did some singing and released the album “Little Star.”

It was Aiza, then 18 years old and well-established in her career as a star in films and television whom songwriters Moy Ortiz and Edith Gallardo would meet in 2001. The encounter brought out a huge surprise. Not only could Aiza sing. She had perfect pitch and the sweetest, most expressive voice of outstanding clarity. With the late Margot Gallardo as producer, Moy and Edith got Aiza off to the studio to record one of their works. The song was Pagdating ng Panahon.

Pagdating ng Panahon had a simple lilting melody. The words talked about a dream. “Pagdating ng panahon/ Baka ikaw rin at ako/ Baka tibok ng puso ko’y maging tibok ng puso mo.” One day, maybe, it will be you and me with hearts beating as one. Everybody has looked at a loved one and felt that way at some point in their lives. They all got hooked on Pagdating ng Panahon. They also fell in love with Aiza.

Pagdating ng Panahon became the biggest selling of that year and later of the decade. Aiza entered a new phase in her career as a music star. The albums came one after another. So did concerts. A new audience discovered an Aiza, singing, playing the guitar and being this hugely appealing performer on stage.

Everybody all got hooked on the song titled Pagdating ng Panahon by Aiza Seguerra and fell in love with the singer in 2001. It became the biggest selling of that year and later of the decade. Aiza entered a new phase in her career as a music star. Twenty-five years later, Aiza is now Ice Seguerra, married to Liza Dino. He remains the talented actor, but Ice, the musician, is what his fans love best.

ICE SEGUERRA AND VIVA’S OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES

Fast forward to 25 years later. Some changes have happened. Aiza is now Ice Seguerra, married to Liza Dino, and a gender change became an order. He remains the talented actor he has been from the start, confident and daring on stage, TV and the big screen. But Ice, the musician, is what his fans love best, and at this point in his life, he chose to look back at that life-changing time when he recorded Pagdating ng Panahon.

To celebrate this, Ice returned to Vicor Music, the original label of Pagdating ng Panahon and came up with a new version. His tones are now fuller and more expressive, with a touch of the guttural. His approach is more emotional. Hey, he seems to say, I’ve made it this far. This is a great life, but I am still looking forward to more. It is not the teen-aged Aiza anymore. It is Ice we hear, and he made the song more affecting and more beautiful than ever.