OCAMPO’S HISTORY
THE OCAMPO SISTERS: CONTINUING A FAMILY LEGACY
Among the more distinguished and respectable names in the jewelry business are the Ocampos from Pampanga. Coming from a bloodline of hardworking entrepreneurs, the family since 1926 has nurtured and produced generations of successful progeny engaged in all-around fine jewelry trade and other business interests.
The Ocampo sisters, Corito Rose (Tayag), Divina (Tayag), Evita (Florendo), and Finina (Galang) actually belong to the third generation of Ocampos to run the Jewelry business, whose foundations were first laid by their grandfather, Santiago Lagman Ocampo in 1926. The four are the daughters of the late Evansuida (Nee Gueco) and Ricardo Ma. Ocampo, the oldest son of Santiago and the founder of the Ocampo’s Gemologist & Jewelers Inc. Although the Ocampo girls have families of their own, they still manage to look after their family business long after their parents are gone. In fact, under the concerted efforts of the enterprising sisters, the jewelry store their father built now has four branches in popular malls (in Ali Mall, SM City Clark, Marquee, and Glorietta). The original and main store in Angeles has also burgeoned into a mini-mall that offers jewelry, dry goods and RTW, leatherwear, and appliances. They have also branched out into other business firms like: a realty firm; an insurance and financing company; an appliance store chain in Northern and Central Luzon; a pawnshop; and a restaurant.
Whatever accomplishments these Ocampo women have now achieved and enjoy are admittedly greatly attributed to the rich family legacy of hard work plus intense passion for business that was passed on to them. The four fondly look back at the very beginning of the Ocampo’s chain of business interests. The Ocampos are originally from Minalin, one of the smallest towns in Pampanga. The very first formal store of the Ocampos was a sari-sari store built in 1931 in that town. The Ocampo patriarch Santiago Ocampo, a vocational school graduate, was a traveling salesman. The Ocampos first business venture commenced in 1926 when Santiago and Felipa would regularly go to Manila to sell embroidered clothes and linens. Later on, they also engaged in buying jewelry from Laperal de Guzman shop in Azcarraga and afterwards selling these upon their return to Pampanga. When Santiago had saved enough capital, he formed several groups of viajeros who got goods from him for resale to people from as far as Visayas and Mindanao. The goodies (santong rebulto, clothes, houseware, etc.) were usually sold on daily installment basis or were paid in full during the harvest time. To this day, the town of Minalin is well known for its viajeros and their trade.
When the war broke out, Santiago evacuated his wife Felipa and their 10 children to Guagua, where they later set up another sari-sari store with one cabinet allotted for jewelry display. The store was called “Ocampo’s for Everything” since it offered a wide variety of merchandise. Felipa and Santiago were said to be very particular about serving their customers whatever they wanted – and thus made sure they had everything that the customers would need at that time. Aside from the store near the Guagua Municipio, the Ocampo patriarch invested in a number of lucrative business pursuits namely: a slipper-making factory; a religious rebulto sculpture-making factory; a bowling alley; and a whiskey (White Mule label) company; import/export firm of beer and cigarettes; a grocery and a tailoring shop. A man with a vision, Santiago was always moving and looking for new business opportunities. He did not believe in aiming for regular employment for his children and instead encouraged each of them to become entrepreneurs no matter how small they start with. When his sons and daughters married and started their own families, he helped each of them to put up a business in different places. He reasoned out that if they were only in one place and had the same business, they would be competing with each other. On the other hand, Felipa Un Ocampo was a very religious woman starting her day by attending Mass. She taught her children the value of integrity thus the company slogan “Buy with Confidence”.
The second generation of Ocampos turned out to be just as hardworking and enterprising as their elders. Although not all of them finished a college degree, each became as successful as their parents in their business pursuits. Today, Santiago and Felipa’s 10 children and their numerous “apos” have really made a name for themselves. The oldest son Ricardo Ma. Ocampo was a lawyer but established a profitable business base in Angeles. With the help of his wife, Evansuida Gueco, and his four daughters (Corito, Divina, Evita, and Finina), he branched out in the metropolis. Ricardo and his wife died in 1983 but their daughters continued the businesses they built. The second child, Preciosa O. Valencia put up a jewelry store in San Fernando; while the third child Vicia O. Valbuena had a jewelry store in Guagua and Manila before she died. Lamberto Un Ocampo, who designed the Ocampos’ company logo while he was on a scholarship grant in Chicago, is now a high-calibre engineer in the construction field; he also owns Ocampo’s of Manila at Harrison Plaza. On the other hand, the fifth child Amada O. Gutierrez was a Pharmacist but established a jewelry store in Olongapo and now, together with her children runs Ocampo’s Fine Jewelry and Silver Works at Robinson’s Galleria. The sixth, Cesar Ma. Ocampo, the father of “Anonymous” and “Black Shop” boutique’s Ricco Ocampo, has a poultry farm in Minalin. The seventh, Ester Un Ocampo stayed single and died young. Meanwhile, Mariano Un Ocampo, father of Marni Ocampo, of “Sari-Sari” fashion boutique, was a former governor of Tarlac who opened a store there. Luz Un Ocampo, the eight child, has remained single but owns a jewelry/pawnshop in Guagua and to this day loves to host their family reunions (where attendance is a must for all Ocampo descendants) every third Sunday of the month. The youngest, Grace O. Pangilinan finished medicine and opened a jewelry store in San Fernando and now owns Ocampo’s Jewelry in Gotesco in Caloocan.
“My father was actually the first son to get married”. Corito relates. “My lolo set up a jewelry business for him in Angeles City, where my mother hailed from.” Thus, with the financial support and free use of his father’s credit connection, the young Ricardo and his wife Evansuida launched their own jewelry business, Ocampo’s Gemologist & Jewelers Inc. on October 10, 1948, during the Angeles town fiesta honoring the Virgen de la Naval. To better understand the trade and become an expert in the jewelry testing and grading, Evansuida enrolled and became the first Filipina to graduated from the prestigious Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Santa Monica, California. Like her mother-in law, Evansuida believed in daily Mass as an ingredient to success, which she passed on to her four daughters. Today, the value of daily prayer, integrity, and hard work is deeply ingrained in the blood of the four sisters.
Evita, the third daughter, recalls how the whole family would go to shop for jewelry in Escolta to replenish their stock in Angeles City. Sometimes their aunts and uncles plus their respective children that included cousins like Frieda Hizon, Rina Alarcon, Vittsy Tanjuakio, Ambeth Ocampo (writer and historian), Gina Pangilinan, Rica Valbuena (now in New York) Reimon Gutierrez (architect), Ricco Ocampo and Marni Ocampo, would join them. “ While our parents shopped, we would take a stroll along the Escolta, see a movie, or eat at Panciteria Moderna.” She reminisces on their early jaunts in the city.
Even at a very young age, the four sisters knew what the family business was all about. The girls helped out in different capacities in the store. In fact, their parent’s love for jewelry and precious stones rubbed off on the girls. “When I was young, I was already resigned to the fact that I’d take over the business as my father did after my grandfather,” Corito explains. Just like their mom, the Ocampo sisters were also sent to GIA in California to become experts in the identification and grading of colored stones, diamonds, pearls, etc.
When their parents died in 1983, the sisters got their act together and divided the load among them. The poised and elegant Corito, being the eldest, is the current President and Chairman of the board. The second sister, Divina, takes charge of design and production and is the boss in their Ali Mall branch. Evita, who has an MBA from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, takes care of marketing and merchandising. Finina, MBA graduate of University of Southern California, USA, tackles the financial aspect of the business. Corito and Finina are based in Pampanga but travel to Manila twice a week, while Evita and Divina oversee the daily operation of their Boston and Metro Manila branches.
Every year, pursuing a tradition began by their parents, the sisters hold a special Lenten “bargain open house sale” with many of their jewelry sold at cost. This also goes true for the other Ocampos (those owned by their Aunts and Uncles) chain of jewelry and appliance stores. Their grandparents began this annual sale also. The open house usually commences before the Holy week every year.
Given their expertise in jewels, the sisters also want to impart their knowledge to the public as proven by various seminars they regularly conduct. These seminars are sort of a public service for the people to learn more about jewelry, to know what instruments are needed to look at the stones, to identify and grade stones, Corito relates. And as an extended service to their clients and friends, they put up the “Ask the Experts” corner in all their stores. Through this corner, Ocampos welcomes inquiries or request for tips on general understanding and proper upkeep of all kinds of jewelry. No actual purchase is needed to avail of this. The sisters accommodate all questions either sent by mail or personally brought to any of Ocampos Gemologist & Jewelers stores.
The four sisters really work together like a well-oiled machine. They even added a facet to the family tradition: that of a socially responsive enterprise. With their clientele ranging from the well heeled to the working class, to young teens, the sisters are challenged every year to bring their products within reasonable reach of everyone. Like their predecessors, the four are bent on possibly responding to everything that their clientele need.
Ocampo’s Gemelogists and Jewelers Inc, 2009. All Rights Reserved.