Gretchen Ho
Born
Gretchen Ong Ho

(1990-04-19) April 19, 1990 (age 33)
Manila, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Other namesGretch
EducationAteneo De Manila University, (BS and AB)
Occupation(s)TV host, Athlete, Speaker, Advocate
Years active2010–present
Agent(s)ABS-CBN (2013–2020)
TV5 (2020–present)
Star Magic (2014–present)
Cornerstone Talent Management Center (2013–present)
Volleyball career
College / UniversityAteneo De Manila University (2008–2013)
Volleyball information
PositionMiddle Blocker / Open Spiker
Career
YearsTeams
2013–2015Petron Blaze Spikers
Websitewomaninaction.ph

Gretchen Ong Ho (Tagalog: [ˈgrɛtʃɛn ɔŋ ho]; born April 19, 1990) is a Filipino television presenter and former volleyball player. She played collegiate volleyball for the Ateneo Lady Eagles from 2008 to 2013, where she was a member of the "fab five" who brought Ateneo to their first back-to-back UAAP finals appearances (seasons 74 and 75). She then played professionally for the Petron Blaze Spikers in the Philippine Super Liga (PSL) from 2013 to 2015, where she helped the team win the 2014 Grand Prix Conference.

Having earned a double degree in BS Management Engineering and AB Communications, and a minor in Development Management from Ateneo de Manila University, Ho moved to television work. She debuted as one of the hosts of Gameday Weekend, a sports magazine show on Balls and ABS-CBN Sports+Action. She previously worked as an anchor, segment host, and field reporter for various ABS-CBN programs, such as Umagang Kay Ganda, TV Patrol, News Patrol, The Score, and University Town.

On April 19, 2020, Ho launched her own brand and online platform, Woman In Action, with an article titled, COVID19: My Birthday Eve. According to her, she created the website to create a "safe space" where she and anyone else can share their stories. "In this time of the COVID-19 crisis, we'd like to share more #happinews to the world. Let’s all help uplift each other’s spirits," Ho wrote on the website.[1][2]

Under "Woman In Action", Ho started her "Donate A Bike, Save A Job" campaign, providing more than 1000 bicycles to the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bikes were distributed to 10 cities all over Metro Manila, even reaching typhoon victims in Naga and Cagayan.[3]

On January 26, 2021, Ho officially transferred to TV5 after 7 years on ABS-CBN as part of its retrenchment program caused by the ABS-CBN shutdown from the Philippine Congress that junked the new ABS-CBN legislative franchise to operate.[4]

Career

Volleyball

She played varsity volleyball in high school for Immaculate Conception Academy-Greenhills. While in college, she played for Ateneo De Manila University for 5 years. She also played professional volleyball for two years, suiting up for the Petron Trail Blazers in the Philippine Super Liga from 2013 to 2015, as well as the PSL Beach Volleyball Cup in 2015. She is one of the co-founders of Beach Volleyball Republic.[5]

Clubs

Television

TV specials

Advocacy and issues

On May 22, 2017, Ho became an Ambassador for Health and Nutrition of the Philippine branch of the humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organization World Vision.[13][14]

Ho has also spoken out publicly on various social issues. In 2018 she spoke out about the importance of freedom, saying "That’s the media’s responsibility in a democracy: to keep power in check."[15] In 2020 she added her voice to the many others who asked for the government to unveil concrete plans to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.[16]

Recognition

References

  1. ^ "Woman In Action". Woman In Action. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Cerezo, Anna Gabrielle (April 25, 2020). "Gretchen Ho launches Woman In Action website". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  3. ^ "LOOK: Gretchen Ho reaches campaign target of giving away 1,000 bikes". December 15, 2020.
  4. ^ Anarcon, James Patrick. "Gretchen Ho transfers to TV5, joins Frontline Pilipinas". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Lozada, Mei-Lin (December 22, 2015). "Gretchen Ho bares busy BVR season amid spike in beach volleyball popularity". Spin. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Gretchen Ho begins hosting career with sports show, abs-cbnnews.com; accessed March 31, 2015.
  7. ^ TV docu show co-hosted by Piolo Pascual, Gerald Anderson to aid rise of future sports stars, spin.ph; accessed March 31, 2015.
  8. ^ Why men can’t intimidate Gretchen Ho, philstar.com; accessed March 31, 2015.
  9. ^ Gretchen Ho: Spiking Her Way To Success, imoney.ph; accessed April 6, 2015.
  10. ^ "LOOK: Gretchen Ho's TV Patrol debut". ABS-CBN News. September 18, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "David Celdran joins Mornings at ANC; Gretchen Ho presents The Daily Serve". pep.ph. October 23, 2015.
  12. ^ "Lifestyle's New Magazine Talk Show Modern Girls To Premiere on May 28". orangemagazine.ph. May 24, 2016.
  13. ^ "One for Children: Gretchen Ho as Ambassador for Health & Nutrition". World Vision Philippines. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "How Gretchen Ho came up with the hashtag WomanInAction". The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Gretchen Ho explains importance of TV hosts, journos asking hard-hitting questions". October 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "Celebrities speak up on Duterte's 'shoot them dead' remarks vs. Leftist groups". April 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "Gretchen Ho on Instagram: "#ParagalaAwards2022: Maraming salamat, Holy Angel University para sa award na ito — "Paragala Pang Kabataan: News and Current Affairs". This one's pretty special, because apart from affirming my age and stage in life 😆, it's also my first with the Cignal and TV5 family. Many changes have happened through the pandemic, I'm sure to most of us, and every transition has its own set of challenges. Grateful to my Cignal TV and TV5 bosses — @siennao @mistervea @luchicruzvaldes @robertgalang — for the opportunities given, for the continuous belief, trust and patience, as well as the warm welcome. Grateful also to my colleagues whose bodies of work both inspire and challenge me to bring my best self to work everytime. Marami pang kailangan matutunan at marami pang kailangan gawin, and with the news industry being challenged nowadays, I find even greater resolve to stay here and serve my purpose the best way I can. This one's for the team ❤️ #FrontlineSaUmaga #TheBigStory #FrontlinePilipinas @1newsph @news5everywhere"".
  18. ^ "ABS-CBN wins 7th Best TV Station Award in 2020 Paragala Central Luzon Media Awards | ABS-CBN Corporate".
  19. ^ "ABS-CBN named as Most Outstanding TV Network by Gawad Lasallianeta | ABS-CBN Corporate".
  20. ^ Ho, Gretchen [@gretchenho] (December 13, 2019). "What a way to cap off the yeearrr 😭 Got my first award for my TV work from #GawadPilipino as "Best New Female Segment Host for the Year". @ukgdos also came home w/ "Best Morning Show". Thank you @twitterph for the recognition of top2 most tweeted sports accounts in the PH. https://t.co/kMNSmzwcKP" (Tweet). Retrieved June 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "Gretchen Ho named "Bayan Mo, iPatrol Mo Ambassador". abscbnpr.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ^ "ABS-CBN shows and celebrities, big winner sa USTV Students' Choice Awards". abs-cbn.com.
  23. ^ "FULL LIST: Winners, 2015 PMPC Star Awards for TV". Rappler. December 3, 2015.
  24. ^ "Richard "Goma" Gomez". richardgomez.com.ph.
  25. ^ "Stunners at #YahooAwards 2014". yahoo.com.
  26. ^ "FHM 100 Sexiest Woman in the World 2014". July 1, 2015.
  27. ^ "FHM 100 Sexiest Woman in the World 2015". July 1, 2015. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
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