DJ Jhai Ho enjoys the ride

With his flaming red hair, it’s hard to miss him in a crowd. And believe it or not, he even dyed his hair before Yeng Constantino did. In fact, his former manager used to call him “Ang Pambansang Angry Bird ng Pilipinas” because he was already into dyeing his hair in different colors before it became fashionable.

When the Angry Birds craze passed, he decided to stick with red, although people now remark “ang lakas maka-Yeng” when they see his hair. “Itong red kasi, mas sosyal, mas malinis tingnan at mas character pero hindi ganun ka loud na loud. Maybe now, I can say mas kilala ang red hair ko kesa sa dati,” says Jhai Ho, whose real name is Lord Jireh Nepomuceno Seruelo. (Jhai is shortened from Jireh, while the “Ho,” he added from the popular song by the Pussycat Dolls).

Born in Iloilo in December 1989, he grew up in Manila where he was exposed to showbiz and became a fan. He would go to practically every live appearance or mall show, no matter how far. “Even when I was a kid, I was already a movie fan and I enjoyed watching TV and live shows. Even if the show was in Cavite, I would travel all the way there just to watch it,” he laughs.

Even when he was in school, he would join every single extra-curricular activity that he could. Almost every school event became a platform for this future radio host and DJ. In college, he would also host events and accept gigs even outside the university. So when he finally graduated, there was no shortage of work for him. He became host of an online show, a podcast, guested on various shows on AM radio, then joined the cast of the now-defunct Music Uplate Live where he became a voice-over talent, segment producer and floor director, all in one. He also got to know people in the industry, who would later help him land the big career breaks.

Jhai Ho is anything if not resourceful — and it was his resourcefulness that got him noticed by his superiors before those major career breaks came along. He was observant and learned how to do the news just by watching and listening to the veterans. He was also very patient and did not easily get discouraged despite the occasional setbacks. So little by little, he got noticed. “Napansin ako sa mga pinaggagawa ko at alam ng mga bosses ang gusto kong gawin. Sinubukan pa nga ako mag-host ng isang segment na nag-shoot kami, tapos hindi naman na-ere,” he laughs. “I was edited out in the final airing but that’s okay.”

He is currently a fixture on MOR 101.9, the FM radio station of ABS-CBN where he does showbiz news reports. His latest stint was with Buzz ng Bayan as one of the opinionated Bayan Buzzers. According to him, radio and TV are two different forms of media and some adjustment is required. It’s still a learning process for him. “The two are slightly different but super fun to do, and enjoy ako kasi ito ang bagay na gustong-gusto kong gawin,” he says.

He has learned a lot with his stints in various forms of media. But the overriding lessons have just been to enjoy the ride and to try, as much as possible, to be at peace with everyone. Showbiz as an industry is already so fraught with controversy and intrigue that it shouldn’t be the focus of anyone to add to it. Time could be better spent establishing genuine friendships and cultivating a successful work ethic. “Dapat talaga enjoy lang, positive lang at dapat sa industriyang ito, mabait kang totoo, hindi bait-baitan lang kasi napaka-liit ng mundong ito,” he says. “Magkikita’t magkikita kayo, saan man mapunta, kaya dapat lahat kaibigan mo and dapat honest ka lang para i-love ka ng nakapaligid sa iyo. Always performance level ka at dapat wag ka mapagod pag alabin ang apoy sa puso para sa ginagawa mo.”