A Filipino salesman faces a life sentence in the United Arab Emirates for allegedly trying to sell 0.06 gram of methamphetamine to a police informant. But the Filipino, 30, entered a plea of not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday, according to a report on UAE news site Gulf News on Wednesday. "The law enforcement procedures were carried against me in an unlawful manner. The prosecutors’ warrant bore a wrong name... and it was mentioned that my car was blue (but) my car is red. The substance was not seized in my possession. I am not guilty," the report quoted the Filipino, whose name it withheld, as saying before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal. Prosecutors had sought the toughest punishment for the Filipino, who they said possessed a "mind-altering substance for trafficking purposes," the report said. Citing Article 49 of the Anti-Narcotics Law, possession of a mind-altering substance for trafficking may fetch a fine of Dh50,000 to Dh200,000 (P 602,913 to P2,411,652). An Emirati anti-narcotics police captain testified that a female informant told them the Filipino was looking for someone to buy methamphetamine in July. The police captain said they asked the informant to communicate with the defendant and arrange to buy the mind-altering substance in Satwa. The captain said the Filipino arrived in a blue car and stopped in front of the woman near the Iranian Hospital, then stepped out of his car and spoke with the informant. When he collected the money, he took out something from his pocket and handed it to the informant, and the police raided the place and arrested him. The Dubai Police’s forensic laboratory confirmed the methamphetamine weighed 0.06 grams, the report said. — LBG, GMA News

At least 67 overseas Filipino workers based in the United Kingdom have completed training in technical-vocational courses, the Department of Labor and Employment said Tuesday.

The DOLE said this is part of the government's reintegration program, to offer OFWs a livelihood option once they decide to come home to the Philippines.

Courses completed by the 67 included hairdressing, culinary arts, and basic computer, POLO-London Labor Attache Joan Lourdes Lavilla said in a report to DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

Of the 67, 28 OFWs completed training in hairdressing; 14 in culinary arts; and 25 in basic computer operation.

The courses were conducted for free by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in London under the DOLE's National Reintegration Program for OFWs.

Lavilla also said Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St. James Enrique Manalo confirmed the graduates and handed to them their certificates.

"The 67 OFW-graduates trained during Saturdays and Sundays from July to October under the tutelage of Philip de Vera (hairdressing); Felix Bayker Jr. (culinary arts); and Ricky Mayangao and Stephanie Sy (basic computer)," the DOLE said.

Skills training on technical-vocational courses is one of the strategies under the National Reintegration Program for OFWs administered by the DOLE through the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO).

Earlier, Baldoz instructed POLOs to train OFWs in skills they could use when they finally decide to return and settle in the Philippines.

"Your graduation showed your determination, perseverance, and desire for self-improvement and growth," Manalo told the 67 OFWs at their graduation.

OFW Aileen Roda, who completed the course on hairdressing, said her new skills could take her far off as an entrepreneur when she returns home. — LBG, GMA News

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