Diether Ocampo: A child at heart

Ask Diether Ocampo which of the five powers of the Rounin (fire, water, earth, wind and lightning) he wants to have, and he will tell you it’s water. Diether, who plays the master Rounin, leader of Lumeria in the ABS-CBN fantaserye Rounin, has always loved this life-giving element.

His passion for surfing has taken him to La Union and Siargao, if he can squeeze in enough time between showbiz and business matters, that is.

That’s why, when he saw a few street waifs splashing themselves in the water which collected in a hole owners of a nearby gym wanted to turn into a swimming pool, Diether’s heart melted. He asked the boys what they were doing there. When they told him they were taking a bath in the hole because they live far away, Diether didn’t think twice. He fished out some bills from his wallet and told the boys to go buy themselves food, pronto.

It’s one thing Diether can’t stand: The sight of kids going hungry and treating swimming pool holes as bathrooms. He keeps food in his vehicle all the time to give to streetkids who knock on his car window.

And he put up the KIDS (Kabataang Inyong Dapat Suportahan) Foundation, even if doing so meant going through the usual birth pains of starting something from scratch.

"I didn’t realize it would be that hard. I had to deal with the DSWD (Department of Social Work and Development), the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) and others," he sighs.

But the volume of work ahead left Diether no room for delay. There are children crying for help; little hands waiting to be guided.

In June, KIDS ties up with another foundation to launch a book drive in Ateneo de Manila. The literacy drive is timed for the opening of the next school year.

Diether’s love for children extends to his publishing business as well. His new magazine Baby Couture, which deals on fashion for infants and children, has released three issues in the US so far.

This new addition to his growing list of magazine titles (e.g. Uno) is not a spur-of-the-moment venture. It’s the result of careful research.

"We studied all magazine titles circulating in the US. We found out that of the 2,000 that are existing, only one is devoted to kiddie fashion. Vogue Bambino, which is about kiddie fashion, is circulated only in Europe," says Diether.

So he decided to cash in on this largely unexplored market by establishing an office in New York. He himself phoned advertisers and offered his fledgling magazine to them. And Diether is happy at what he found out.

"Over there in the US," he reveals, "you won’t have a hard time doing business. Company personnel will return your call if you leave a voice message on the phone."

"They will consider your request even if they don’t know you. Meetings start on time and last for as short as 10 minutes. Then you will get a yes or a no; not maybes or promises to call. It’s that fast," he adds.

Not so in the Philippines, Diether laments. He may be luckier than the rest since most people he deals with know him. But the ordinary person will have a hard time establishing a network without knowing somebody in the company first.

Diether may have managers in the US to run Baby Couture. But being the hands-on entrepreneur that he is, Diether plans to go to the US to check things out for himself.

Because of this, Diether has to tape Rounin episodes in advance. The task, though, is not that simple.

He shed 20 pounds, thanks to Rounin’s physically demanding scenes. He and fellow Rounin Rafael Rossell shot their fight scenes at 5 a.m. Both hardly slept at that time. Harnesses kept their bodies upright, with nary a chance to relax even for a minute.

"The series is so full of special effects it can easily be converted into a movie," Diether crows. "Why, It even merits a Book Two."

Speaking of merit, what or who is the all-important person who merits all this hard work from Diether? Why is he working so hard to the point of losing so many pounds?

"I’m working this hard because I still love (estranged wife) Kristine (Hermosa)," Diether replies. "Someday, if she’s ready, we can get married in church."

Let’s just hope Kristine is listening.