Why men can’t intimidate Gretchen Ho

MANILA, Philippines - Every once in a while the public gets to see a female sports anchor somewhat bullied in a field dominated by men. Curiously, volleyball star-turned-TV host Gretchen Ho has at least two concrete reasons as to why she’s confident she can’t suffer a similar experience.

“My very edge is that I’m an athlete myself. That helps me interview sports personalities in more insightful ways while feeling them loosening up to me,” she told the media recently. 
That is to say she’s earning the respect of sportsmen easier than most overnight armchair experts do. 

Needless to say, she has outstanding credentials, having been tagged as the “Ateneo Lady Spiker” during her days with the Blue Eagles and hailed for her hosting stints back in college. Thus, now that she’s past schooling, it’s arguably no surprise that she would bag a hosting job for The Score, a new interactive show about hot sports topics and debates aired by ABS-CBN’s Sports & Action Channel (formerly Studio 23). 
More intrigue rests on what she believes is her other weapon in dodging bad male-hormone intentions: Her mataray face.

“I have this mataray face and they don’t mess around with me. They can only look but no touch,” she quipped, referring to guys who might be thinking of making a pass at her in distasteful fashion.

Envisioning an image placed between showbiz host Bianca Gonzales and sports figure Diane Castillejo, Bianca does field reporting on the said show, and joins a roster that includes TJ Manotoc, Boom Labrusca and Tina Marasigan. 

Sounding like the tried-and-tested athlete that she is, she assessed, “I’m really glad I was given this opportunity to explore another side of me. I’m just taking it one day at a time, enjoying every bit of it and learning what I can to better myself.”

Apart from her job in The Score, she has also begun serving as sports analyst for University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). For a start, she competently covered the volleyball game between De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines. 

She elaborated, “I enjoy hosting The Score because I get to go beyond the script and put my input din, as I’ve been told. Gusto ko ito kasi pinag-iisip ako like how to interview a certain person to make our conversation more interesting in many ways.” 

She, feeling upbeat about the current state of sports in the Philippines, added, “I’m happy that the timing of my TV hosting break coincides with the present culture and trends wherein generally people want to be in sports and be fit. It’s a lifestyle familiar to me.”

Now a talent of Cornerstone management center, Gretchen is also spearheading a business venture called The Inspired Project which focuses on concept items and creates “a social media community that spreads inspiration through personal items.” 

The local sports community’s new “It Girl” had already been the face of top brands like Jollibee and Nike. Last year, she co-hosted the Mr. and Ms. Chinatown with actors Xian Lim and Enchong Dee. 

While likewise contemplating on the probability of being put in an uncomfortable situation with male athletes, her tongue-in-cheek insistence is short but straightforward: “Matapang ako at matatakot sila sa akin.”