MANILA, Philippines – Cathy Yap-Yang is back with ABS-CBN and she’s ready to make a change in the world of business reporting.
She has under her belt fifteen years of working with international news channels Bloomberg TV-Asia Pacific and China Central TV (CCTV).
She left the country in year 2000 when she joined Bloomberg which was based in Tokyo, Japan. After a few years, the station expanded to Hong Kong and was offered to move there.
After a few years of stay with Bloomberg, she worked with CCTV, while heading the One La Salle Hong Kong chapter.
“I’m in touch [with the people here], there’s no real offer, but there’s the intention na, ‘Ayaw mong bumalik na?’” she recalled about why she decided to return to ABS-CBN, in an interview on Wednesday.
By that time, she had the inkling that the opportunities for her in Hong Kong are not enough for her growth as a journalist. However, her remaining term as One La Salle president stopped her from jumping into the opportunity before her to be back in the Philippines.
“I was continuing with my correspondent status with CCTV, it was okay, been there done that na ako, e,” she continued. “Maybe that was the sign. I was seeking signs along the way. Soon after that, ito na nga, I’m back.”
Cathy described her return in the network as a “career move made in the right time,” especially in the dawn of social media.
She admits being used to traditional journalism, yet she sees the opportunity that social media could offer.
“Every business story that I will cover will make a big difference when it hit social media because we do it in a way that it’s more palatable to the people. Iba kasi ang presentation sa TV, e,” she explained.
“Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a business story,” she added. “Even if it’s something personal to you, kahit you’re off duty kapag may nakita ka, makaka-relate ang tao sa iyo, magbi-build ka ng trust, may credibility kahit hindi business ang pag-usapan ninyo.”
Aside from work, Cathy also admitted that her family was also a factor in accepting the offer from ANC.
She’s married to a doctor and they have two daughters, one is eighteen years old while the other is nine years old.
Cathy will host “Market Edge with Cathy Yang” on ANC starting September 1. She will also host “Business Nightly” starting this October.