Gretchen Ong Ho (Tagalog:[ˈgrɛtʃɛnɔŋho]; born April 19, 1990) is a Filipino broadcaster, 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.
Personal life
Ho was born to James and Annie Ho.[1][2] She is the only daughter among four siblings.[3]
Ho was previously in a relationship with host and actor Robi Domingo from 2012 to 2017.[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]
In September 2022, Ho started producing her own travel, documentary and public service program called Woman In Action. She hosts and co-writes the program that airs on ONE NEWS, ONE PH and TV5. Woman In Action won "Best Public Affairs Program" at the PMAP Makatao Awards in 2023. [7]
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."[10] 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.[11]
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.[12][13]
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.[14]