Philippine Showbiz Today
December 22 , 2018 - January 7, 2019
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
3rd Canadian detained in China
A third Canadian, Albertan
Sarah McIver, has been detained
in China following the arrest in
Vancouver of a top executive of
a Chinese telecommunications
company.
Consular assistance is being
provided to all three, and their
families, officials from Global
Affairs say.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
said he did not believe the
detention of the third Canadian
in China is linked to two previous
detentions.
“The first indications are
that this is a very separate case
compared to the two others that
occurred,” Trudeau told journalists
at his year-end news conference.
The prime minister said: “The
others that were arrested at the
start of the week were accused
of serious crimes, problems
regarding
national
security,
intelligence.”
“The third case doesn’t
appear, at this point, and of course
we only have the preliminary
indications that it’s not linked to a
matter of national security for the
Chinese,” according to Trudeau.
Earlier in December, China
detained
former
Canadian
diplomat Michael Kovrig, and
entrepreneur Michael Spavor.
The Chinese government
has said they are suspected
of endangering China’s state
security.
Chinese officials usually
detain people for questioning
before officially arresting or
charging them. The process can
take up to six months.
This followed the December
1 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the
chief financial officer of tech
giant Huawei Technologies, in
Vancouver at the request of the
United States.
Darna
continued from PAGE 8
percentages of their programs
and films in sound stages and not
in remote locations. Moreover,
the sound stages also enable the
company to manage production
costs more efficiently.
“Completing
the
sound
stages represents a very major
step for ABS-CBN in terms of
our ability to create much better
production. Through this we can
show the world the best of the
Filipino,” said Lopez III.
Present at the inauguration
of the sound stages along with
Lopez III, Lopez, and Katigbak
were ABS-CBN board member
and former President and COO
Freddie Garcia, ABS-CBN board
adviser, former president and
CEO, and current chief creative
officer Charo Santos-Concio,
ABS-CBN COO of broadcast
Cory Vidanes, and ABS-CBN
Film Productions Inc. managing
director Olive Lamasan, together
with Rep. Rida Robes, Mayor Art
McIver
Wanzhou
Meng was arrested over
allegations of fraud.
China has repeatedly called
for Canada to correct its mistake
and to release Meng or face
unspecified consequences.
In
a
statement,
a
spokesperson for Global Affairs
Canada confirmed to CTV News
they were “aware of a Canadian
citizen detained in China”.
The
government
spokesperson said they could not
provide further information on the
case citing privacy concerns.
China has now granted
Canada access to both Spavor
and Kovrig.
Global Affairs Canada said
John
McCallum,
Canada’s
ambassador to China, met with
Kovrig and Spavor on separate
days.
Meng has been released on a
$10-million bail in Vancouver. She
is due back in court in February.
During his year-ender news
conference, the prime minister
was grilled by journalists on
worsening relations with China.
“We have engaged in a very
thoughtful way on trying to get
the best outcome and sometimes
politicizing or amplifying the level
of public discourse on this may
be satisfying in the short term,
but would not contribute to the
outcome we all want,” Trudeau
said.●
Robes, and some members of the
ABS-CBN community.
The sound stages represent
the beginning of a plan to
establish a production hub that
include sound stages, backlots,
production and post-production
facilities and offices that will allow
both ABS-CBN and Philippine-
based productions to match
production
facilities
found
elsewhere in the world.
In parallel with the construction
work, the production and support
teams for both TV and Feature
Films began a three-year training
program for the stages both in
Hollywood and in the Philippines
designed by Manhattan Beach
Studios together with ABS-
CBN Studios Inc. and ABS-CBN
University. Covering all aspects
of production, the courses
involved over 150 people and
were designed to ensure that
production processes mirror the
best practices in the world.●
- MS
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