Comelec under fire for alleged failure to ensure seamless online voting

 

The protesters are calling on Comelec to conduct urgent voter education

Militant Filipino migrant organizations have hit out at the Commission on Elections for its alleged failure to conduct comprehensive voter education, which could lead to massive voter disenfranchisement in this year’s mid-term election.

About 50 members of Bayan Muna HK and its affiliate organizations picketed the Consulate on Sunday, Jan. 19, to condemn Comelec’s alleged negligence in holding immediate voter education on the new online voting system.

""It is unacceptable that many voters are at risk of losing their right to vote due to a cumbersome process burdened by excessive requirements,” said Lai Besana, convenor of Bayan Muna HK.

Besana noted that the OVS requires voters to verify their email addresses and undergo a preparatory registration process before they can participate in the online voting, which is being held for the first time in most overseas countries hosting Filipino migrants.

Voters who encounter difficulties trying to vote online are required to go to the Consulate to cast their ballots, a prospect that could lead to long queues and massive disenfranchisement.

“The OVS imposes burdensome requirements that could prevent people from voting. This process will discourage voters, especially those who can only participate on weekends," Besana warned.

She said that if Comelec really wants more overseas Filipinos to vote they must immediately hold a training session for voters so they will know how the online voting system works.”

Comelec officials who came to Hong Kong last July took a select group of Filipino community members through the process of first, enrolling as a registered voter; then accessing the voting portal where they will be asked to first present their credentials before being allowed to vote.

Comelec commissioner in charge of the OVS, Marlon Casquejo, told the audience that there will be a pro-enrolment period 60 days before the start of voting period, which is from Apr 13, 2025 to May 12, 2025.

The pre-enrolment will then take place from Feb. 12 to Apr 12, 2025.

At this stage, the voter will be asked to ad the required documents and provide an email address, then wait for verification from the Consulate (or other overseas posts).

During verification, the Consulate will check against the National Registry of Overseas Voters whether the applicant is a registered voter. If confirmed, a link to the election portal will be sent to the voter. Once done, the voter will receive a digital print of the cast ballot.

15 Lunar New Year fairs set to open

Graphic from FEHD

Fifteen Lunar New Year fairs, the biggest at Victoria Park with 395 stalls, will open tomorrow (Jan. 23), offering a variety of goods, flowers and street food to thousands who want to go strolling during the holidays.

The fairs will last until Jan.29.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department, which is organizing the fairs, said about 1,500 wet goods, dry goods and fast food stalls will be set up in these fairs, which will open at 7am daily. Admission will stop 15 minutes prior to the closing time, which could be as late as 1 am the next day.

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The department said that the fair venues will be monitored using innovative technological measures, and crowd control will be implemented as necessary.

For example, footfall at the 15 fairs will be displayed on the department’s website, at https://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/events/lnyf2025/lnyf2025.html -- a green light indicates that just a few people are at a fair site, an amber light signals that a venue is slightly crowded, while a red light shows the venue is very crowded.

In addition to general recyclables, the department will arrange for contractors to collect bamboo sticks, wooden pallets, polyfoam and wilted or unsold flowers. Unsold pots of flowers and plants donated by vendors will also be sent to elderly homes, care homes and public hospitals.

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The other fair venues are:

Tung Chung: Tat Tung Road Garden

Sham Shui Po: Fa Hui Park

Wong Tai Sin: Tsz Wan Shan Estate Central Playground

Kwun Tong: Kwun Tong Recreation Ground

Kwai Tsing: Kwai Chung Sports Ground

Tsuen Wan: Sha Tsui Road Playground

Tuen Mun: Tin Hau Temple Plaza

Yuen Long: Tung Tau Industrial Area Playground

North: Shek Wu Hui Playground

Tai Po: Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square

Shatin: Yuen Wo Playground

Sai Kung: Man Yee Playground

Tseung Kwan O: Po Hong Park

2 DHs charged with Immigration offenses, get off lightly

 

The two Filipinas were charged at Shatin court 

Two Filipina domestic helpers accused of violating the Immigration Ordinance, got off lightly today at Shatin Court after they agreed to be bound over in return for charges against them being dropped.

G. Perez, 47 years old, was accused of breach of condition of stay by allegedly doing business selling socks and lipsticks on Aug. 11, 2024.

Magistrate Andrew Mok granted the prosecution motion to drop charges against her after she accepted the bind-over agreement in which she would promise not to reoffend for 24 months, with a penalty of $1,000 if she does.

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Magistrate Mok charged her $300 for court costs.      

L. Sonyo, on the other hand, was cleared of the charge of “making a false statement to an Immigration Officer lawfully acting under or in the execution of Part III of the Immigration Ordinance.”

Sonyo, 34 years old, was accused of lying when she declared to an Immigration officer that she would work for an employer who signed her work contract registered with the Immigration Department.

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Charges against her were withdrawn after she agreed to a bind-over agreement in which she promised not to reoffend in the next 12 months, with a penalty of $1,000 if she does.

Magistrate Mok also charged her $100 for court costs and cancelled her next hearing scheduled for Feb. 3.

Another DH found guilty of money laundering; sentencing set

 

Another domestic helper tricked into lending her bank card that ended up being used for laundering money that came from crime, was found guilty today at Eastern Court after trial.

Marjorie Tayaoa, 44 years old, will be sentenced on Feb. 5 for “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offense.”

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She was taken to jail immediately after the verdict handed down by Deputy Magistrate Paul Yip, as this violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance calls for a mandatory jail sentence.

Tayaoa had earlier denied having a role in the handling of $1,136,868 of deposits in and withdrawals from her Mox Bank account from July 20, 2023 to Aug. 1, 2023.

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But Magistrate Yip gave more weight to the evidence presented by the prosecution that she was guilty of handling the money “knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that property … directly or indirectly represented any person’s proceeds of an indictable offense….”

Chilly Chinese New Year holidays forecast for HK

Take those caps and gloves again with you when you go out over CNY

Hong Kong’s current spell of fair weather will last for only a few more days before temperatures start falling again ahead of the Lunar New Year, according to the HK Observatory.

The coldest day in the upcoming holidays will be on Tuesday, Jan. 28, the eve of the Year of the Snake, when the temperature in the urban areas will fall back to 11 degrees, and a few degrees lower in some parts of the New Territories.

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The mercury is forecast to start dropping from Sunday, the last day of the Year of the Dragon, when a minimum temperature of 15 degrees is expected, falling further to 12 degrees the next day.

Monday will be noticeably colder, with temperatures ranging between 11 and 17 degrees.

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The next day, Jan. 29, which is the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Observatory forecasts a dry and cold day with sunny periods. Temperatures will range between 13 and 17 degrees.

The Observatory says a cold front that will move across southern China on Sunday will cause the weather shift.

The current weather is relatively mild, with temperatures forecast to range between 16 and 22 degrees from today to Saturday.

 

Filipina in jail on drug trafficking charges

 

Hotel where Filipina was arrested

A Filipina was returned to jail today after she and three male Indians appeared at Shatin Court today, charged with two counts of drug trafficking.

Asylum seeker Vanessa Poblacion, 33 years old, was charged along with Kanesh Bawa, Aftab Alam and Kalimuddin Mohammed, with trafficking in dangerous drugs after these were found in 12 bundles on May 30,2023 in a room they occupied at the Rambler Oasis Hotel on Tsing Yi Road, New Territories.

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The drugs found included:

• 694.64 grams of cannabis (marijuana) in herbal form.
• 1,718.7 grams of cannabis resin.
• 603 grams of a solid containing cannabis resin.
• 39.6 grams of a crystalline solid nade uChlride (or shabu).
• 11.9 grams of of solid cpntaining 9.9 grams of ketamine.
• 15.6 grams grams of a slid containing 8.7 grms of cocaine.
•  15.4 grams of a solid containing  13.5 grams of N,N dimethylpentylone.
• 2,861 grams of a solid containing 1.71 grams of tetrahydrocannnabinol.
• 25.1 grams of a oiquid containing 18.11 grams of tetrahydrocannnabinol.
• 21.7 grams of a sold containing 16.7 grams of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine.
• 339 tablets and one tablet fragment containing 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine.
• And 0.-6 grams of a solis xontrning lysergide.

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In the other charge, only the three Indians were accused of trafficking in 4,050 grams of cannabis in herbal form on May 30, 2023  on Cheung Tsing Bridge in Tsing Yi.

While Poblacion and Mohammed were returned to jail to await their retirn to court on April 14, Bawa was ganted bail of $60,000 in cash plus $30,00 in surety,. while Alam was released on $100,000 bail.

 

Seniors get help navigating the internet

Seniors may bring up their tech health concerns to any of the 40 help desks 

Some 100,000 elderly Hongkongers stand to benefit from a government project aimed at providing them training and technical support in facing technological challenges.

Under the “Smart Silver” Digital Inclusion  Programme for Elders, about 40 help desks have been set up across the city to help technology-challenged seniors aged 60 and above.

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All venues are easily accessible like community centers, district councilor’s offices and elderly centers.

The initiative follows the government’s announcement in the 2024-25 Budget of $100 million being set aside to to subsidize non-governmental organizations for implementing a comprehensive digital inclusion program.

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The partner oganizations will offer training on various mobile applications including iAM Smart, eHealth  and other platforms designed to enhance the daily lives of seniors while promoting cyber security.

For more details on the program, the government’s news portal, news,gov.hk has just posted an interview with a representative from the Digital Policy Office, as well as reactions from some elderly participants and a service provider. 

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The story is available at www.news.gov.hk/eng/feature  in text and video format.

 

DMW reports taking down 70k fake job posts on social media

 

The Department of Migrant Workers has reported taking down and deactivating 71,653 fake job postings and accounts in 2024, including 50,220 suspicious posts on Facebook and 21,433 on TikTok.

In a statement issued on Friday, Jan 17, the DMW said many of the fake job postings were made by groups masquerading as legitimate recruitment agencies. They duplicated the official Facebook pages of DMW-licensed agencies to entice unsuspecting jobseekers.

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DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the operation was conducted with help from Facebook and Tiktok.

“As we find them, we take them down. Every illegal recruitment post we see online, we immediately report and coordinate with Facebook and TikTok for the deactivation of those accounts,” Cacdac said.

“There were duplications of accounts and pages of legitimate recruitment agencies on Facebook. We had a meeting with these agencies, and Facebook agreed to take down all these copycat sites.”

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As part of its campaign against illegal recruitment activities, the DMW, through its Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB) is also partnering with concerned government agencies, local government units, and key social partners to educate OFWs and would-be OFWs, and step up enforcement.

The DMW advises Filipinos seeking to work abroad to be wary of dubious job offers on social media, and to always verify the legitimacy of the agencies making them, to avoid falling victim to internet fraudsters.

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Everyone is encouraged to report any suspicious recruitment activities online to the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/dmwairtip/, email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph or through their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619 for legal assistance.###

Warmer mornings forecast next week

 

Hong Kong can enjoy warmer weather next week

Hong Kong’s mornings will gradually warm up starting tomorrow, with the minimum temperature rising by a degree daily from 14 degree Celsius to 18 degrees by Thursday, according to a forecast from the Hong Kong Observatory.

The daytime temperature, however will hover between 20 and 22 degrees.

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The Observatory attributed this change to the wanig northeast monsoon, which is being replaced by a fresh flow of easterly winds, which is expected to last until the middle of next week.

“Another surge of the northeast monsoon is expected to affect southern China afterwards,” it added.

Click to view

Humidity in the morning is also expected to rise from 40% on Monday to a peak of 65% by Wednesday, and then steadying at 60 until Saturday, before settling at 40% by next Saturday.

The daytime humidity is expected to have the same trend, peaking at 85% by Wednesday.

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This should explain the cloudy weather forecast n Wednesday, while the rest of the week is expected to be fine.

 

New Filipino artist group to stage ‘FAKE’ in HK

 

Promotional poster for 'FAKE', the first production of all-Filipino theatre group, TBT

A newly formed Filipino theatre artists group in Hong Kong has announced the launch of its first production, “FAKE,” a full-length English play written by one of Metro Manila’s most celebrated playwrights, Floy Quintos.

The Bootstrap Theatre (TBT) HK said FAKE will be staged at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Studio Theatre at the Fringe Club in Central on June 7 this year.

The play, which serves as a discussion of Filipinos’ religious faith intertwined with their struggle for national identity, was premiered in the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2011 under the direction of National Artist Tony Mabesa.

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It will be directed in Hong Kong this time by TBT founder and singer/actor/songwriter/director William Elvin Manzano, who counts both Quintos and Mabesa among his mentors.

“Apart from telling Filipino stories on the world stage, it is our goal in The Bootstrap Theatre to create an artistic, creative industry for Filipinos living in Hong Kong, from actors, dancers, and musicians to writers, directors and filmmakers as well as backstage and administration personnel,” said Manzano.

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“Floy Quintos’ magnificent work is only the first in a long line of plays we hope to stage, which all feature stories that starkly and honestly reflect modern Filipino society through world-class theater productions.” 

'FAKE' is the first play to be directed in HK by multi-awarded composer William Elvin

Manzano has won multiple awards in the Philippines as the co-lyricist and composer of “Mula sa Buwan” – now considered as a contemporary classic in Philippine musical theatre.

In “FAKE”, Manzano returns to the directorial chair after more than a decade, having directed several productions in Metro Manila in the early 2010s before relocating to Hong Kong in 2014. 

TBT is now searching for Hong Kong-based Filipino actors, aged 25 to 55, (male and female), as well as two male Caucasians who will be playing major roles in the play to be directed by singer/actor/songwriter/director William Elvin Manzano, who is also Bootstrap’s founder.

Click to view

Auditions will be held on Feb 8 at the Delia Memorial School in Mei Foo from 4pm to 7pm. Interested actors may fill up the form through this link: https://cdocs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVlZ9BlAzcGcAmDp-L0BShnGhL4lnEt0VUh2kn7bsJn3jyxA/viewform?pli=1

For more information on The Bootstrap Theatre HK and “FAKE”,  follow the new company’s social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. 

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Actors and performers interested in joining their productions may also send them a message in the social media accounts or email them at tbtmediaent@gmail.com. 

 

Court ends Filipina's asylum bid - after she is deported

 

The High Court, where the Court of Appeal  holds its proceedings  

The Court of Appeal has formally ended a seven-year effort by an overstaying Filipina to legalize her stay in Hong Kong as a refugee -- even after she had been deported back to the Philippines.

In a decision by CA Vice-President Carlye Chu and concurred in by Justice of Appeal Peter Cheung, the court rejected the appeal of Alona Abuyen, 50 years old, to revisit her case which had been rejected by the Immigration Department and, on appeal, by the Torture Claims Appeal Board and the Court of First Instance.

"In sum, the role of the court in a judicial review is not to provide a further avenue of appeal," the decision said. 

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"Assessment of evidence and Country of Origin Information materials and risk of harm, state protection and viability of internal relocation are primarily within the province of the Board (and the Director [of Immigration]), who are the primary decision makers," it added.  

"The court will not intervene by way of judicial review unless there are errors of law or procedural unfairness or irrationality in the decision of the Board.  Further, an appeal to the Court of Appeal is not an avenue for the applicant to re-argue the case," it concluded.

Abuyen arrived in Hong Kong on Oct. 29, 2015 as a foreign domestic helper.  After working for almost seven months, she was terminated in May 2016.

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She overstayed but surrendered to Immigration on July 6, 2017, after which she filed a non-refoulement claim with Immigration, citing her fear of being harmed or killed by Kevin, the owner of an employment agency, against whom she complained of irregularities in her employment in 2011.  

The Immigration director rejected her application, saying her basis for seeking protection from being sent back home did not fall under the four acceptable reasons for granting asylum: risk of torture, risk to life, risk of inhuman treatment and persecution risk.

When she appealed to the Board, it concurred with the ruling and even raised doubts about the credibility of her claim and evidence, which it found "to be self-conflicting and unreliable."  

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When she appealed to the Court of First Instance, Deputy High Court Judge Lung Kim Wan ruled that her intended judicial review had no realistic prospect of success. 

In its decision dated Jan. 10, the Court of Appeal said it "will not interfere with the first instance decision unless it is shown that the first instance judge has erred."

It also noted that on Nov. 25, 2024, the Immigration Director informed the Court that she had been deported. "We therefore direct that a copy of this judgment be served on the Director with a request that he uses his best endeavor to bring it to the notice of the applicant," it added.

11 arrested in anti-illegal worker operations

Immigration is stepping up anti illegal work operations ahead of the Lunar New Year

Territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations conducted on Jan. 13 to 16 resulted in the arrest of 11 people, the Immigration Department (ImmD) reported today, Jan. 17.

The eight suspected illegal workers, one suspected employer and two overstayers were arrested in a series of operations codenamed "Twilight", and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion" and "Windsand", on Jan. 13 to 16. 

In their operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided five target locations, including premises under renovation and restaurants. Two two men, both aged 37, were arrested for illegal work.

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During operation "Champion", enforcement officers raided 54 target locations in Eastern and Western districts and arrested six suspected illegal workers, one suspected employer and two overstayers. 

The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised three men and three women, aged 28 to 59. One woman, aged 53, was suspected of employing the illegal worker and was also arrested. 

The arrested overstayers comprised two women, aged 42 and 44. One of the overstayers was also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Among them, six suspected illegal workers, one suspected employer and one overstayer were handled by the ImmD.

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Immigration reiterated its warning: "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties."

An Immigration spokesman added that those who employ people not lawfully employable face stiffer penalties. 

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"Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years' imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years' imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences," he said.

Jobless Pinoy faces 7-month wait for plea

 

Stolen laptop lands Filipino in jail 

A jobless Filipino accused of entering a shop inside a mall in Tai Kok Tsui and stealing a laptop computer will have to wait almost seven months in jail before he can plead guilty or not at the District Court.

Salvador Bermejo, 30, faces a robbery charge for entering a furniture store in Olympian City 2 on July 24, 2024 and stealing its computer valued at $8,400.

Chief District Judge Justin Ko adjourned his case to Aug. 29 for plea.

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Under the Theft Ordinance, which he was accused of violating, burglary is punishable by up to 14 years in jail.

Bermejo has been in detention since his arrest in July and consequent appearances at West Kowloon Court, which elevated the case because robbery was beyond its jurisdiction.

The complaint filed by police cites a section in the Theft Ordinance that defines burglary as entering any building as a trespasser and steals or attempts to steal anything or attempts to inflict on any person any grievous bodily harm.

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Bermejo has been in trouble with the law in recent years.

On July 28, 2022, at Eastern Court he was ordered arrested after he failed to show up on his sentencing at the Eastern Court, after earlier pleading guilty to stealing a pair of shoes from a flat in Wanchai on April 1, 2022.

When he finally showed up in court on Aug. 11, he ended up being sent to the Drug Abuse Treatment Center after blood tests showed he had meth in his blood, and told to pay the owner of the shoes $3,300 over nine months.

Magistrate Jason Wan, who handled the case, also noted that Bermejo has had two earlier drug convictions.

Local and migrant artists team up to raise funds for Bethune House

 

Poster for the collaborative art exhibit which opens today

For the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, the work to keep raising funds for the shelter’s upkeep and its clients’ financial needs never ends.

Just a few weeks after reporting that they had met their target of raising HK$1 million by the end of last year and thanking all their generous donors who made it happen, Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio is again overseeing another charity event to ensure the shelter remains afloat.

Three art-related events captioned “Togetherness: Two Pillars, One Shelter” have been lined up by Edwina’s team to what they describe as “an opportunity to celebrate art, community and compassion while supporting migrant workers who play a vital role in Hong Kong society.”

Edwina (3rd from left) and The SUN editor Daisy CL Mandap (seated next to her)
meet the Goroy family, who are among Bethune House's generous donors

The “Bethune House Fundraiser Auction 2025” will be kick-started tonight, Jan 16, with a  VIP Preview and Private Tour of an exhibit that features about 30 works by local artists such as Frog King as well as those by members of Guhit Kulay, a migrant artists’ collective.

The preview will be held at the ground floor of No 33 Wyndham Street in Central, from 6:30 t0 8:30pm.

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On Jan 19, Sunday, “Kitchen Day” hosted by Bethune House residents, Lo Lai Lai and Yip Kai Chun, will be held from 1pm to 4pm at the same venue.

The event to be held over lunch is meant to introduce the local and migrant artists whose works are being exhibited, and as a channel for cultural collaboration among the various people from diverse ethnic backgrounds who are supporting Bethune House.

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Rounding up the festivities is a Live Auction Cocktail on Feb. 7, from 6pm-9pm. Four exclusive artworks will be put up for auction, with the proceeds going to Bethune House.

In the meantime, a silent auction for the 30 artworks carefully selected and curated for the exhibit begins today, and will continue until midnight of Feb. 9. To view the items and bid, click on this link: https://hk.givergy.com/bethunehouse/?controller=home