One of the biggest OPM songs of the early aughts was recently resurrected via the all-covers “SWABE” album, with Aiza Seguerra’s “Pagdating Ng Panahon,” with no less than a hitmaker of the day taking on the challenge of besting the original.

Tough job.

As the song is an absolute biggie. I would know, because I had a front-row, 'second-hand account' from someone in the thick of it of how the song went, as the adage goes, from zero to hero.

I remember it as if it were yesterday. Uh-oh! Flashback alert! Before “Pagdating Ng Panahon” was released in 2001, Aiza (now identified as Ice Seguerra) was figuratively in showbiz limbo.

First, making a name as an adorable little tyke in the late 80s "Eat Bulaga," Aiza was already “old” to keep doing the same antics on TV. Yet, she’s young and hasn’t proven herself, other than what she was initially known for, to be taken seriously. It's every kid celebrity’s dilemma: the first sign of puberty, and the career disappears.  

Luckily for Aiza, music was in her sphere. While she “stopped” being a regular at Eat Bulaga, when she did appear, it was with an acoustic guitar strapped to her back, singing solo songs or doing duets with Vic Sotto.

And man, did people notice!And just like that, Aiza had reinvented herself into a singer. A particularly soulful one. But there was the question of what to do with this little fact. Enter the following people. "Bulaga" executive Malou Choa-Fagar asked Vicor Music’s then VP MG Mozo to catch Aiza's gig.

Long story short, the label exec liked what she saw and heard. The latter recalled years after that what caught her attention in particular was how absorbed Aiza was when performing, “seeming to lose herself in the music.”

It was the songwriter’s after that, with The Company’s Moi Ortiz and lyricist Edith Gallardo presenting the label with “Pagdating Ng Panahon.” A tidbit trivia: the song was initially arranged as a slow torch song, but Vicor’s Mozo had requested the songwriting duo to speed it up a bit, as ‘too slow’ might affect its FM radio playability. Eventually, all agreed to the waltz-like tempo the song became known for.  

And with producer Margot Gallardo at the helm, “Pagdating Ng Panahon” became the first single off an EP that launched Aiza's pop music career. The rest, as they say, is history.

Not only did “Pagdating Ng Panahon” relaunch her career, but the song was a monster-seller for Aiza, the songwriters, the producer, and the label, and became a signature song for the artist. I remember being at the 2002 Awit Awards being swept by Aiza for Song O.T.Y., Best Produced Record, Best Pop Recording, and Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist awards.A tough act for Amiel Sol to follow.

“I was still very young, but I was very aware of ‘Pagdating Ng Panahon’ and how much it resonated. I remember always catching it on the radio and just admiring what a beautiful song it is,” said Amiel in Tagalog in an interview.

“We didn’t set out to put out a better version. Instead, we set out to honor it.” Amiel Sol would know about singing pretty songs; he’s moved on to become one of the biggies of his generation with his hits “Sa Bawat Sandali” and “Ikaw Lang Patutunguhan.”

And as far as soul, Amiel’s take brims with quiet yearning, and innate optimism which is at the heart of “Pagdating Ng Panahon.”If anything, Amiel is reintroducing his listeners to the beauty of this song, much like what Aiza did for all her listeners many years ago.