When Carlos Ocampo was just 30, he walked into an empty office that claimed to be an airline. There were no planes, no pilots, no licenses—just a bold idea and a group of people who believed they could challenge Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) 50-year monopoly.
“I remember walking in and thinking, ‘Wow, this is going to be rough,’” Ocampo recalled in an interview with Financial Adviser PH. “But to a 30-year-old, the idea of helping build an airline from the ground up was an irresistible challenge. I said, ‘Alright, let’s do it.’”
What followed would not only reshape the country’s aviation industry but also prepare him for an unexpected entrepreneurial leap years later: building one of the Philippines’ most respected law firms.
Taking on a giant at 30
PAL had dominated Philippine skies for half a century. To compete, Ocampo and his team at Air Philippines (later PAL Express) had to start from zero: secure franchises, build regulatory compliance, hire teams, and, ultimately, fly their first commercial routes.
“When I joined, there was nothing—no franchise, no planes, nothing but paperwork and ambition,” he said. “But through God’s will, we succeeded. We got the franchise, we were operating. And suddenly, I was part of the management committee, the youngest member at that time.”
For Ocampo, the experience was more than a legal battle. It was a crash course in corporate management. “That was my first taste of corporate life—building something that actually flew, literally and figuratively,” he said.
How breaking a monopoly reshaped the market
Air Philippines’ entry disrupted decades of monopoly. Suddenly, Filipino consumers had choices, and competition forced the industry to evolve.
“It wasn’t just about launching flights,” Ocampo explained. “It was about creating competition where there was none. And when you create competition, consumers win. Fares go down, services improve, opportunities open up.”
He adds that the lessons from that fight stuck with him for life. “In business and in law, monopolies are dangerous. They breed complacency. When you break a monopoly, you unleash innovation. That’s what happened in aviation, and that’s what I carried into everything I did afterward.”
From airline halls to law firm walls
After two and a half years, Ocampo decided it was time to move on. He had proven to himself that he could build something from nothing. The next challenge was even riskier: starting a law firm from scratch.
“Our first office was just 30 square meters. When our first client came in to pay, we didn’t even have a proper table for him,” he laughed. “But those experiences enrich the journey. If I could help build an airline, why not build my own firm?”
That small office eventually became Ocampo & Manalo, now Ocampo, Manalo, Valdez & Lim—a full-service firm of about 60 people, including 30 lawyers, serving 250 active clients across industries.
Lessons in risk, leadership, and building from zero
Looking back, Ocampo credits the airline years for shaping his entrepreneurial mindset.
“Lawyers are trained to think about compliance, to minimize risk. But when you’re building a business, you also have to think about possibilities and strategies,” he told Financial Adviser PH. “That shift—from risk avoidance to opportunity creation—was the biggest lesson I took from aviation into law and business.”
He also learned that leadership often means embracing the unknown. “At 30, I didn’t know if we would succeed. But I learned that if you only take steps where you can already see the ground, you’ll never build anything new. Sometimes, you just have to step out in faith.”
The big picture
For Ocampo, the story of Air Philippines wasn’t just about planes and franchises—it was about proving that even the biggest monopolies can be broken, and that young professionals can rise when given impossible challenges.
“People ask me, ‘Wasn’t it terrifying to go up against PAL?’ And I say, of course it was,” he said. “But fear is part of the journey. If you let it stop you, you’ll never get anywhere.”
Today, decades later, the lawyer-turned-entrepreneur looks back at those early years as the defining chapter that shaped everything else.
“The airline taught me that building from zero is possible. Once you’ve done it once, you carry that confidence forever.”
