TEETERING on his seat, with arms folded close to his chest, Dominic Ochoa is fending off sleep. It's been a busy day for the 27-year-old actor, going straight from a show in Bohol to one meeting and two interviews in Makati. He's had three cups of coffee, he says, and he wants another, but he changes his mind. "I'm OK," he assures us, discreetly tapping his tummy, which seems to bother him.

He's not as hot as Diether Ocampo, but Dominic, who's been in the biz for three years, is more than OK. He plays one of the more delightful characters in Channel 2's attempt to fuse soap opera and sitcom, "Labs Ko Si Babes," and he's the latest addition to "Alas Singko Y Medya" as field reporter and weekend anchor. He has also wrapped work on Star Cinema's "Tanging Yaman."

Above all, says Dominic, he enjoys doing road tours and sampling tours for manufacturing firms. He's been to public markets, groceries, schools and offices in different parts of the country to promote certain brands of consumer goods.

"It's tiring but it's a lot of fun. It also pays well and it's a good way to reach out to the masses," he remarks, citing his encounters with some avid viewers of "Labs Ko Si Babes," who call him by his character's name, Ulysses.

"Minsan ang tawag sa akin, Papa Uly," he chuckles. "Others, maton men, touch my privates! But the worst is people calling me bakla."

"I'm just playing a role," he asserts, wondering why people are so hung up with a person's sexuality. When he was starting out in the biz, he recalls, some people wanted him to ''confess'' his homosexuality. His hand movements, he's been told, motivated the suspicion.

He agrees show business is a crazy world, but he's grown to love it. "A nine-to-five kind of job is simply not for me," says Dominic, a UST Commerce graduate who has worked at the Mandarin Oriental Manila and the Worldwide Monetary Market and has been featured in about 25 TV ads.

His businessman-father used to be opposed to his entry into the entertainment field. It seems all right now. Dominic relates that when his dad saw Johnny Delgado (who plays father to Ulysses and another lead character, Cindy) one day in a restaurant, he introduced himself to the veteran actor.

"Anak ko si Dominic," he remembers his dad telling Johnny, who warmly replied, "Anak nating dalawa si Dominic!"

A wide grin appears on the young actor's face. "Masaya siyang katrabaho," he beams. "I learn a lot from Johnny, even by just watching how a veteran actor like him prepare for a scene. I also listen to his advice. Mas madaling magyabang, sabi niya, pero mas mahirap magpakumbaba."

And Dominic need not be convinced by Johnny's wise words. He's a firm believer in the virtue of humility himself, that's why he takes his job seriously. He makes sure that the people who hire him for road/sampling tours get their money's worth. He also doesn't also mind being "ASYM's" second choice.

When he's got a light schedule, Dominic visits the sets of other shows on ABS-CBN and sweetly reminds producers that he's available to tape for them. "I'm with Backroom and Talent Center, but I also find jobs for myself," he says.

"I just can't stand being idle," he explains, adding that he's not fond of going to the movies because he'd rather work or do something more productive. "You'd know if I have a girlfriend when you see me in a theater," he winks.

When it comes to his date with stardom, Dominic is willing to wait and be patient. He's exploring other opportunities in the biz but he's also heeding his TV dad's advice. "Sabi niya, 'wag ko ring pabayaan ang acting ko," he recalls Delgado reminding him.