From her career as a star athlete in college to a respected news anchor and sports host, audiences often see Gretchen Ho in action, whether staying physically fit or acquiring a story. Yet focusing on her career in the news industry isn’t Gretchen’s only goal in her life.
Often dubbed by many as a “woman in action,” Gretchen also focuses on her projects and advocacies, making a big difference in people’s lives.
And her advocacies aren’t just a spur of the moment; these came from her childhood dream of traveling and helping others around the Philippines.
“When I was young, I imagined myself working for an NGO. ‘Yun talaga ang gusto ko. Gusto ko mag Gawad Kalinga, Habitat for Humanity. And I wanted to travel the Philippines and to help people and go to communities, pero hindi ko alam kung ano ang gagawin ko,” she said during a virtual mediacon last Friday.
Because of her desire to travel around the Philippines, Gretchen eventually realized she was already doing it. And as if by manifestation, she found the opportunity to live out her dream as a woman in action with a new travel infotainment show.
“Pag meron kang pangarap or calling, and you stay true, you eventually would be led to that no matter what the detours are. So this show is in honor of that childhood dream. Hopefully, we get to travel not just in the Philippines but around the world and connect people,” she said.
Through the show titled Woman In Action, Gretchen explores remote places in the country, highlighting their beauty and the unique stories of the communities to inspire and move people to action. She will take viewers on a riveting journey in different provinces of the Philippines while bringing to light the situation of each community, encouraging them to become socially responsible travelers.
“Bukod sa travel show, we also have public service. So tuloy-tuloy yung pagtulong namin through this show. But we want to do the public service sustainably. Yung tulong na ibibigay namin, hindi yung nagpakain lang kami, tapos pag-alis namin wala na. So ganun din yung tinuturo namin sa audiences namin na everytime you go to a place, you can actually leave a mark that will last,” Gretchen emphasized.
Apart from living her childhood dream and satisfying her athletic side, Gretchen also sees Woman In Action as a medium for her as a media practitioner to connect people from local communities to local audiences to create memories and opportunities.
Staying true to her title as a woman in action, Gretchen takes a more active role in the show as its producer while writing and documenting the stories.
Woman In Action premiered October 1, 7:30 p.m. on One News via Cignal, available on CH. 8 SD and CH. 250 HD. The travel infotainment show is also available on SatLite CH. 60 and on the Cignal Play app. Re-watch the episodes every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. on One PH, CH. 1.