Rochelle Pangilinan looks back on SexBomb's heydays: 'Grabe pala 'yung sikat namin dati'

Long before K-pop girl groups like 2NE1 and Girls' Generation soared to popularity, there was already a girl group that captured the hearts of Filipinos: the SexBomb Girls.

Aside from their energetic dancing and top dance anthems, they were a group of strong women who clearly love what they do.

In an interview on "Updated with Nelson Canlas," former member Rochelle Pangilinan looked back on SexBomb's heydays.

"[Dati] nung kasikatan ng SexBomb, may show pa kami nun left to right, north to south, south to north," she said.

The dancer and actress added that they would also travel to shows after working on live TV for "Eat Bulaga."

"[Laguna], tapos Pampanga, tapos Bulacan, tapos babalik kami ng south. Hanggang sa makakauwi na lang kami 6 a.m. na, eh 10 a.m. ang call time sa 'Eat Bulaga,'" Rochelle said.

Nelson recalled that the original SexBomb members would go from some intense performances to falling asleep in their van.

Rochelle added, "Minsan nagigising ako, sumasayaw na ako ng 'Spaghetti,' nasa stage na ako."

Aside from performing on "Eat Bulaga," the SexBomb Girls also starred in "Daisy Siete," an afternoon drama anthology that ran for 26 seasons.

Rochelle said that she didn't even realize how famous they were. It only dawned on her when she got overwhelmed during a scheduled performance at a school and the fans ran to meet them.

"Nagkagulo sila, tapos natakot ako. Sumugod sila sa amin nung nakita nila kami, ganun talaga itsura ko tapos nagtago ako sa pundya ng guard," she said.

"Nakaganun lang talaga ako, kasi kuyog talaga siya. Tapos hinihila na lang ako ng isang guard na, 'Tara na! Tara na!' Hindi na kami nakapag show," Rochelle added.

When they got back to their car, Rochelle said, "Doon namin nalaman na ah, sikat kami."

Rochelle is amazed at the support SexBomb continues to receive, as they remain household names until now.

"Hindi ko siya na-appreciate dati kasi siguro 'yung pagod din na naramdaman namin dati as in left to right, right to left di ba? So parang sa amin parang ginagawa na lang namin siya every day," she said.

"Tapos lately ko na lang nalaman, may nag-send sa akin ng pictures na 'yung mga picture ng sa mga mall, 'yung mga uma-attend sa amin na parang ay grabe pala 'yung sikat namin dati."

In hindsight, Rochelle said she can now see how the SexBomb Girls touched the lives of many back in the day.

"Mga pinalaki talaga ng SexBomb, rinig ang theme song ng 'Daisy Siete,' so siguro isa yon 'no. Hanggang ngayon, sila 'yung mga nagpo-post, bumubuhay sa SexBomb hanggang ngayon," she said.

—Nika Roque/MGP, GMA Integrated News