Victor Ocampo

Victor de la Cruz Ocampo (March 16, 1952 – March 16, 2023) was a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Gumaca from September 3, 2015 until his death on March 16, 2023.

During his 48-year stint as priest of the Diocese of Balanga, he served as the diocesan administrator of Balanga during the diocese's sede vacante without an appointed bishop when Socrates Villegas became Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on November 4, 2009 until Ruperto Santos became fourth Bishop of Balanga on April 1, 2010 as bishop-elect (with Santos had been rector of Pontificio Collegio Filippino and priest of the Archdiocese of Manila when he was appointed as fourth bishop on April 2010), and during Santos' bishop-elect period while awaiting for his installation as bishop from April 2010 until he was installed or assumed office on July 8, 2010, both spanned for 4 months, which totaled the vacancy or period without a bishop in office for 8 months or 246 days.

Ocampo was the first to be ordained as priest in the Diocese of Balanga on 1977 two years after it founded in 1975, as well as the first from the said diocese to serve as bishop outside Bataan, the diocese's jurisdiction, and the ecclesiastical province of San Fernando, Pampanga where the diocese is part of (Diocese of Gumaca being a suffragan or part of the ecclesiastical province of Lipa, Batangas).

1977–2015: Priesthood
Ocampo attended Holy Family Academy in Angeles City and the Mother of Good Counsel Minor Seminary. He then studied philosophy and Catholic theology at the San Jose Seminary in Quezon City. On November 5, 1977, he received the sacrament of ordination for the Diocese of Balanga.

Ocampo first served as parish vicar at St. Joseph Cathedral in Balanga from 1977 to 1979. He then became parish priest of Our Lady and the Pillar in Morong in 1979, the parishes of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Bagac (1981-1986), St. Francis of Assisi in Limay (1986-1991) and Our Lady of Lourdes in Colo, a barangay of Dinalupihan (1991-1996). From 1996 to 1997, Ocampo was parish vicar of the parish of Holy Rosary in Orani and from 1997 to 2002 again at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Balanga. He then served as pastor of the parishes of Holy Rosary in Orani (2002–2007), St. Michael in Orion (2007–2011), and St. Dominic de Guzman Parish (2011–2015). In 2008, he was pastor of the parish of St. Dominic de Guzman in Balanga.

In addition to his pastoral work, Ocampo headed the diocesan office for catechesis (1978–2002), the diocesan liturgical commission (2007–2008), and from 2008 the commission for family and life. From 1986 he was also responsible for the Bible apostolate in the Diocese of Balanga. In addition, Ocampo served as Regional Vicar from 1983 to 1986 and as Chancellor of the Curia from 2008. On November 18, 1993, Pope John Paul II bestowed on him the honorary title of Honorary Papal Chaplain.

Due to the departure of Socrates Villegas to serve as archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan on November 4, 2009 which ended his term as third bishop of Balanga, Ocampo became the diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Balanga during the diocese's sede vacante without an appointed bishop when Villegas became Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on November 4, 2009 until Ruperto Santos became fourth Bishop of Balanga on April 1, 2010 as bishop-elect (with Santos had been rector of Pontificio Collegio Filippino and priest of the Archdiocese of Manila when he was appointed as fourth bishop on April 2010), and during Santos' bishop-elect period while awaiting for his installation as bishop from April 2010 until he was installed or assumed office on July 8, 2010, both spanned for 4 months, which totaled the vacancy or period without a bishop in office for 8 months or 246 days.

In 2013, he was a member of the council of consultors of the Diocese of Balanga.

2015–2023: Bishop of Gumaca
On June 12, 2015, Pope Francis appointed Ocampo Bishop of Gumaca. The Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle, consecrated him on August 29 of the same year in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Balanga; Co-consecrators were the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, and the Bishop of Balanga, Ruperto Santos. His motto Corpus meum (“My body”) comes from the consecration of the Eucharistic prayer. The inauguration took place on September 3, 2015.

In the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Ocampo was also a member of the permanent council from 2017 to 2019 and represented the south-east of the island of Luzon. He was also a member of the commissions for the laity and for the biblical apostolate.

Death
Ocampo died of a heart attack at a Gumaca hospital, on March 16, 2023, his 71st birthday.