Pekto, as he was more popularly known by TV viewers of the long-running comedy show "Palibhasa Lalake", has gone a long way from being an ordinary fan whose only desire was just to get close to his favorite stars. “Gusto ko lang sila makita sa personal kaya lagi ako nagpupunta sa studio”, Ogie recalls. But fate took its own course and paved the way for Ogie to follow a successful career in movie writing. “At first I was just assisting Ate Cristy Fermin sa Mariposa Publications. Tapos I got interested sa ginagawa nya. Binigyan nya ako ng tips, tapos pinag sulat nya ako ng articles. I remember yung unang article na sinulat ko 5 times nya pinaulit, eh typewriter ang gamit namin nun hindi computer kaya 5 times ako nagtype”.

A born comedian, it was inevitable for TV and movie producers to notice Ogie’s innate talent in making people laugh. “It was an accident! Nasa set ako ng Palibhasa Lalake tapos pinaglaruan ako nila Richard Gomez, Joey Marquez and John Estrada. Napansin siguro nila na may talent pala ako kaya sinali na nila ako sa show. When I realized na masaya pala and maganda naman ang talent fee pinagbutihan ko yung trabaho ko”.

Though he has been earning big bucks during his stints in television and in the movies, Ogie never forgot to save for the rainy days. He spends his money wisely and shares his blessings. He drives his own car, has built a house for his parents, sends his nephews and nieces to school and invests on real estate. “You’ll never know when your time in show business will end, kaya pinaghahandaan ko. At least pag dumating yung time na yun masasabi ko na nai-angat ko yung standard of living ng pamilya ko”. And now that he is a doting father, he stands firm in his responsibility to give his daughter Erin, who's turning two in September, a good education and the best upbringing that any other father could give their child. “I want Erin to grow up as a God-fearing person with a well-rounded personality. Gusto ko matutunan niya yung value ng hardwork and pahalagahaan yung mga bagay na meron sha ngayon kasi hindi ko natikman yun nung bata ako eh”.

Was Ogie’s good fortune pure luck? Definitely not. What Ogie has become he attributes to his determination to better himself and improve on his craft. His love for writing and acting never left his heart and it never will. For him, his labor has been paying off because he has thirteen colorful and fruitful years in the movie industry and has established himself not only as a seasoned writer but an actor as well.