“Honesty, Hardwork, ” a key to success in life - Lito Ocampo

By Renato V. Remogat

Despite being a policeman at that time this person had been tirelessly driving a motorized tricycle at night and became a willing porter-for his wife every time they bought goods in Manila to be sold in the city to meet ends for the family.

Lito Ocampo in his 60th Birthday

He is Carlito  Ocampo. But family and friends fondly call him “Lito”. 
Lito is a dedicated, honest, and hardworking retired policeman. A native of barangay Malued Dagupan City, who finished  his secondary school  at Dagupan City National High School and a Bachelor of Science in Criminology in 1954 at the University of Luzon.

Upon his graduation, he worked as a clerk at the Regional Trial Court in Dagupan City under  retired Judge Victor Llamas.” It was my first job and I’ve learn more things there than in school in my short stay with him,” Lito said in an exclusive interview by this writer.

“It was in the year 1974 when I joined the Philippine Constabulary/Integrated National Police under the leadership of then Major Ramsey Ocampo.  I took several schooling in different criminal investigations at Fort Bonifacio in Manila and luckily directed to handle high profile cases in the city after my graduation” he continued.

In his stint he cited some sensational cases he handled: One was the kidnapping case of Jesus Dizon, a former bank manager of Bangko Filipino, where he arrested in Manila all those who were involved in abduction and filled criminal charges against them in court. The other was the apprehension and imprisonment of the underground propaganda members of the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army in Dagupan.

Ocampo said he  was  awarded by the Pangasinan Press and Radio Club (PPRCI)  as one of the top ten policemen for being the best protector in the society. The PPRCI then was under the watch of  Reggie Ravanzo and supported by then Former Five-Time House Speaker Joe De Venecia.

“Life is really very difficult those days”,singa amay wala ka ed danum ya no agmo ni tagey so ulom ag kala makaingas” that’s why  I rather drive a tricycle to earn for a living than being a “Kotong” cop. Lito narrates.

He narrated his wife had a little business at that time. “ Manasaliw kami’y kurtina”. They both woke up early dawn to go to Manila and he was her  porter or kargador despite being a policemen at that time, he said. “Agko imbaing sopinankargador ed Manila ta agda ak met kabat” he smilingly stressed.

“It was already a daily routine of my life to be a tricycle driver at night, kargador and at the same time rendered my duty as police officer. and I could say heads up that I was  never been a corrupt policeman.

He said he served 26 years in the police profession and after his retirement in 1996 he became the adviser, until this moment, of the security agency of the CSI Group of Companies which are owned by the family of Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez.

Lito Ocampo was married to Felicitas Torda Ocampo and  blessed with four children Maryann O. Ballesteros, a Physical Therapist who is now residing in San Jose California U.S.A, Janice O. Adriano, a nursing graduate and now manages the family’s security agency, Carla Grace Fernandez, a nurse at the Regional Medical Center and Carlito T. Ocampo  Jr, a nurse employeed at Illinois Chicago.

“ I thanked God the Almighty for all the blessings he has given to us, my wife and my children who are now in their  midst of a happiness and all the people who untiringly supporting me in my entire life ”

To obtain all these good things in life, you should know how to fear God, you should be honest in your work, you dedicate yourself and put love to any kind of craft you endeavored and life would be worth living for us, Ocampo concluded.