Jessica Soho never planned to be a journalist. Initially eyeing law school, she took up journalism to avoid math—an “accidental journalist,” as she puts it. But after 40 years of telling stories that matter, her legacy is anything but accidental.
To celebrate her four decades in the field, GMA Public Affairs launches “Jessica Soho @40: Telling the Story of Filipinos,” a digital archive on YouTube. The collection features landmark reports, exclusive content, and life-changing stories — updated weekly.
From war zones to natural disasters, Soho has braved danger in pursuit of truth. She’s also told stories that sparked change: a malnourished girl who regained her health, a sick boy who received help from strangers, and a child laborer who returned to school. Her team even turned to genetics to reunite families separated by switched identities at birth.
A trailblazer, Soho made history as the first Filipino to win a Peabody Award and dominate the New York Festivals. Her work — from “Kidneys for Sale” to “Secret Slaves” — has earned global recognition, including Gold at the ContentAsia Awards and a Bronze at the 2025 NYF for “Minahan sa Homonhon Island.”
She remains the Philippines’ most trusted TV host in news for 13 years straight, and is the first UP College of Mass Communication alumna to receive the Gawad Plaridel for Journalism.
“If I have to live my life all over again, pipiliin ko pa rin maging journalist. Basically, because I love telling stories,” she ended. And perhaps that’s the clearest truth of all: Even if she never planned this path, she chose to walk it with purpose.
Because for Jessica Soho, every story — big or small — is a chance to do good.
And for forty years, she has done just that.
