Gretchen Ong Ho (; born April 19, 1990) is a Filipino television presenter and former

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player. She played collegiate volleyball for the

Ateneo Lady Eagles The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The collegiate women's v ...

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 The Petron Blaze Spikers were a professional women's volleyball team that played in the Philippine Super Liga (PSL) from 2013 to 2020. After the cancellation of the 2020 season of the PSL due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the team took a lea ...

in the

Philippine Super Liga The Philippine Super Liga (PSL; alternatively spelled as Philippine Superliga) was a non-professional corporate club women's volleyball league in the Philippines. It was first organized by SportsCore Event Management and Consultancy, Inc. and ...

(PSL) from 2013 to 2015, where she helped the team win the 2014 Grand Prix Conference. Having earned a

double degree A double degree program, sometimes called a dual degree, combined degree, conjoint degree, joint degree or double graduation program, involves a student's working for two university degrees in parallel—either at the same institution or at diffe ...

in BS Management Engineering and AB Communications, and a

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

in Development Management from

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

, 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 ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under L ...

. She previously worked as an anchor, segment host, and field reporter for various

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

programs, such as ''

Umagang Kay Ganda ''Umagang Kay Ganda'' (, also known as UKG) was a Philippine Breakfast television, morning show that aired on ABS-CBN from June 25, 2007, to May 5, 2020. Prior to ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy, broadcast stoppage and the COVID-19 pand ...

'', ''

TV Patrol ''TV Patrol'' is a Philippine television newscast produced by ABS-CBN News. It premiered on March 2, 1987, at the former ABS-CBN television network, replacing ''Balita Ngayon''. ''TV Patrol'' is the flagship national newscast of the network an ...

'', ''

News Patrol ''News Patrol'' is an hourly news bulletin of Kapamilya Channel which was aired from September 5, 2005, to May 5, 2020, replacing ''ABS-CBN News Advisory'' at the former ABS-CBN. The news bulletin was suspended on May 5, 2020, after ABS-CBN was ...

'', '' 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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

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. 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 COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The bikes were distributed to 10 cities all over Metro Manila, even reaching typhoon victims in Naga and Cagayan. On January 26, 2021, Ho officially transferred to TV5.

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

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 Beach Volleyball Republic, Inc. (BVR) is an organization aimed for the development and growth of beach volleyball in the Philippines formed in June 2015. History Co-founded by former Ateneo Lady Eagles volleybelles and current professional player ...

Clubs

(2013–2015)

Television

* ''Gameday Weekend'' (2014–2016) –

ABS-CBN Sports and Action ABS-CBN Sports and Action (stylized as ABS-CBN Sports+Action or simply S+A or S and A), was a free-to-air television network based in Quezon City. It was owned by ABS-CBN Corporation with some of its programs produced and licensed by ABS-CBN S ...

and Balls and ABS-CBN Sports and Action HD * ''Team U'' (2014) –

* '' The Score'' (2014) –

* ''

CHInoyTV CHInoyTV or CHI FCTV (Traditional Chinese: 菲華電視台, Simplified Chinese: 菲华电视台, Pinyin: ''Fēi huá diànshìtái'', English: Filipino Chinese Television, Hokkien: ''Hui hôa tiān sī tai'', Cantonese: ''Fēi wàh dihn sih tò ...

'' (2014) –

People's Television Network People's Television Network ( fil, Telebisyon ng Bayan; abbreviated PTV) is the flagship State broadcasting, state broadcaster owned by the Government of the Philippines. Founded in 1974, PTV is the main brand of People's Television Network, In ...

* ''

'' (2015); Guest Star Patroller –

* ''

Mornings @ ANC ''Mornings @ ANC'' was an early morning news and talk program of the ABS-CBN News Channel. It premiere on July 3, 2006, replacing ''Breakfast''. The show concluded on February 24, 2017, It was replaced by ''Early Edition'' in its timeslot. It f ...

'' (2015–2016); Host –

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election installe ...

* ''The Daily Serve'' (2015–2020); Anchor –

* ''Modern Girls'' (2016–2017); Host –

Lifestyle Lifestyle often refers to: * Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives * ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle * Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality Lifestyle may also refer to: Bus ...

* ''

'' (2017–2018); Host –

ABS-CBN News Channel ABS-CBN News Channel, commonly known as ANC, is a 24/7 Philippine pay television news channel. It was launched in 1996 as the first all-news network in English language. The majority of its programs are produced by ABS-CBN News. The channel is ...

* ''University Town'' (2016–2020); (

S+A S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...

) * ''

'' (2016–2020); Host –

* ''

'' (2015–2018); Segment Host –

* ''

Frontline Pilipinas ''Frontline Pilipinas'' () is a Philippine television newscast broadcast by TV5, Originally anchored by Raffy Tulfo and Cheryl Cosim, the program premiered on October 5, 2020, succeeding '' Aksyon''. It is also simulcast on One News, One PH, ...

'' (2021–present); Sports Segment Anchor – TV5 * '' The Big Story'' (2021–present); Anchor – One News * ''

Frontline sa Umaga ''Frontline Pilipinas'' () is a Philippine television newscast broadcast by TV5, Originally anchored by Raffy Tulfo and Cheryl Cosim, the program premiered on October 5, 2020, succeeding '' Aksyon''. It is also simulcast on One News, One PH, R ...

'' (2022–present); Anchor – TV5

TV specials

* '' Wish Music Awards'' (2016–present); Host * ''

Binibining Pilipinas 2017 Binibining Pilipinas 2017 was the 54th edition of Binibining Pilipinas. It took place at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on April 30, 2017. At the end of the event, Maxine Medina crowned Rachel Peters as M ...

'' (2017); Judge –

* ''

PMPC Star Awards For TV PMPC Star Awards for Television is an annual award-giving body recognizing the outstanding programming produced by the several TV networks in the Philippines. It was founded by the Philippine Movie Press Club, an organization of tabloid repor ...

'' (2015); Host & Presenter –

* '' Mr. & Ms. Chinatown'' (2015–2020); Host –

Advocacy and issues

On May 22, 2017, Ho became an Ambassador for Health and Nutrition of the Philippine branch of the

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

, and

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

organization

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

. 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.''" 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 The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines has resulted in, as of , reported cases, resulting in reported deaths, the fifth-highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first case in the Philippines was iden ...

Recognition

* 2022 Paragala Media Awards -- Paragala Pang Kabataan: News and Current Affairs * 2020 Paragala Media Awards -- Best News Personality * 2020 3rd Gawad Lasallianeta -- Most Outstanding Female Correspondent * 2019 Gawad Pilipino -- Best New Female Segment Host for the Year * 2018 PMPC Star Awards for TV – Best Lifestyle Show and Best Morning Show Hosts UKG Barkada Winner (Umagang Kay Ganda) * 2016 PMPC Star Awards for TV – Best Lifestyle Show and Best Morning Show Hosts UKG Barkada Winner (Umagang Kay Ganda) * Halalan 2016 "Bayan Mo, iPatrol Mo" Ambassador * 2016 USTv XII Awards—Student's Choice of Personality for Social Media Development, Ranked No. 61 * 2015 PMPC Star Awards for TV – Best Lifestyle Show and Best Lifestyle Show Host Nominee (ChinoyTV) * Hall of Famer – First Philippine Superliga Ambassadress * Female Hothlete of the Year – Yahoo Celebrity Awards 2014 *

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

Philippines 100 Sexiest Women 2014, Ranked No. 100 *

Philippines 100 Sexiest Women 2015, Ranked No. 61

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Gretchen 1990 births Filipino women's volleyball players Living people Ateneo de Manila University alumni Filipino people of Chinese descent University Athletic Association of the Philippines volleyball players Star Magic Filipina gravure idols ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs people Filipino television sportscasters Middle blockers Wing spikers