Yong Chavez: A woman of passion and dedication
By Monet LuPublished: January 25, 2013 | Asian Journal
YEARS ago, I met this lady, who is consistent and dedicated in her profession, when she requested me to do her makeup and style for her very first Emmy Awards coverage.This special feature was supposed to be a surprise. But I needed to know more about her personal insights, beginnings and experiences in her chosen field of endeavors. From an instant phone interview, I was amazed by her story. Here is Yong Chavez, up close and personal.
She was born in Manila and grew up with a single mom in a small town in Batangas. Her mother, Gloria, raised her and older siblings (Mina and Ronald) on her own.
Even at a tender age, Yong was already interested in pop culture and news. Watching television was her obsession. But her family couldn’t afford a TV then. Frequently, Yong begged her neighbors to let her watch. Sometimes they wouldn’t allow her inside, just letting her watch from a small window opening. She didn’t mind as long as she can still see the TV screen. Little did she know that her then-unspoken dream of having a career in TV would eventually come true.
“I didn’t care that we were poor, and I was never sad about all that sneaking around just to watch TV. I think that prepared me to be who I am today,” Yong said with a laugh.
“Every time I got to see an awards show or catch a Tina Monzon-Palma newscast, I was happy,” she added.
“That’s why every time I’m in the midst of frantic red-carpet coverages, I never fail to take a moment to look around and see where I am and thank God for giving me the capability to dream.”
She also gets a huge kick whenever her news pieces are introduced by Tina Monzon-Palma.“She’s my first news idol and a huge inspiration.”
Yong was a Communication Arts Major from the University of Santo Tomas, where she also met the love of her life. She later worked as a manager at Jollibee.
She moved to Guam with her family in 1996 and got a job as a feature writer at Pacific Daily News, a sister newspaper of USA Today.
In 2000, she relocated to Los Angeles, California and became a TV correspondent for Balitang America ABS-CBN in 2003. She also wrote for Philippine News and Star Studio Magazine.
Her mother, sister, husband, and daughter are her inspirations, and her mission is to continue giving the spotlight to inspiring and talented Fil-Ams in Hollywood, and introducing them to TFC viewers. In conducting interviews she derives satisfaction from hearing from celebrities’ fans who enjoy her stories and interviews.
Although her beat is entertainment, she also files serious news stories like the Tagalog-speaking nurses’ lawsuit victory against their California employers.
“I’m one of those weird people who thrive on challenges because I survived grinding poverty and other extreme hardships,” she said when I asked her about what motivates her in this very challenging profession.
She remembers in college, before she found a job, there was a time that she ate only every other day. Her roommate sold snacks and sometimes one polvoron is all she had to eat the whole day. Until now, she says she cannot look at a polvoron withoutremembering those days. She is extremely grateful for those challenges though.
“They didn’t kill me, they made me stronger,” Yong explained.
Yong has interviewed so many Hollywood stars already. One of her most memorable was with Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, whom she got to interview at the Golden Globes before she was cast as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.
“I saw her film Winter’s Bone after reading the Hunger Games trilogy and I was blown away by her talent and thought she would be a great Katniss and I told her so,” Yong said.
“I asked her if she’d be interested in the role. It turned out I was the very first one to ask her about it. The books’ fans went crazy when I tweeted about it and I was featured in their websites. I was also surprised when I picked up a copy of Movie Magic Magazine’s Hunger Games special edition at Target and saw that my name was mentioned in it. I was part of the movie’s history! So cool.”
She also has a lot of funny encounters with stars. American Idol alum Colton Dixon video-bombed her during an AItaping, while she was doing her stand-up spiel. She also spit out mint accidentally before doing a one-on-one interview with Sarah Silverman. While interviewing the cast of The Avengers, she hit her head on the overhead mic after interviewing Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans.
“I’m a big klutz, but I’m able to laugh at myself, so even if embarrassing things happen, it’s okay,” she said.
Her lists of achievements continue as the first Filipina TV reporter to cover the Creative Arts and Primetime Emmys, to covering the Golden Globes and Oscars and GLAAD awards. She also covered CNN Heroes three times.
Yong also delivers exclusive interviews with Fil-Ams who are making their mark in the entertainment industry. Among her noteworthy coverages include being part of the news team that covered the Fil-Am vote during the historic 2008 US presidential elections.
One of her reports in 2009 brought attention to a case that eventually garnered a group of fraud victims police attention. In 2009, she broke the news of Efren Penaflorida’s historic triumph as the first Pinoy CNN Hero of the Year. When Fil-Am Robin Lim won in 2011, once again, she had the exclusive on-the-scene interview.
In December 2011, Yong’s exclusive piece about a Filipina nurse stricken with leukemia created a major buzz within the Filipino community, one of the least represented in the national bone marrow registry. Officials pointed to Yong’s report for the subsequent unprecedented spike inFilipino donor registration.
In 2012, she was named one of “100 Most Influential Filipinas in the US” and was recently honored by Media Newser Philippines, a press watchdog in the Philippines, as one of 2012’s media winners, along with Korina Sanchez and Jessica Soho.
Her other exclusive interviews with Fil-Ams in Hollywood include Jessica Sanchez, Cheesa, Jason Farol, Darren Criss, Charice, Thia Megia, Shay Mitchell, Roshon Fegan, So You Think You Can Dance Filipino contestants, Once Upon A Time actor Mig Macario, Jon Jon Briones,Pretty Little Liars’ Nia Peeples, Beauty & the Beast’s Nicole Gale Anderson, and many more.
Yong says she could not have achieved these accomplishments if not for her supporters at ABS-CBN. Although she’s a freelancer, she feels like a Kapamilya through and through. Ging Reyes, News and Current Affairs head, was the one that gave her a break as a TV news reporter. Her career as a Hollywood correspondent is flourishing, she says, because of the mentoring and support she receives from North America bureau chief Nadia Trinidad, news desk editors Cherry Cornell and Miranda de Quiroz, and the Balitang America team headed by Vivian Araullo.
Her dream interviews would be with President Barack Obama, President Benigno Aquino, and Angelina Jolie.
“They’re very interesting people – I just know they have amazing stories to tell.”
Yong is excited about an upcoming special project for her home TV show, Balitang America.
Her motto is: “Nothing’s ever too hard to achieve if you have the faith to believe in it, and the courage to fight for it,” an anonymous quote that has stuck with her through the years.
To you Yong, your story has proven that dreams can be achieved through perseverance, dedication and passion. More power to you and Mabuhay ka!
Ladies and gentlemen, Yong Chavez reporting…
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