It's a man's world? Not for this award-winning Pinay engineer in UAE

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – An award-winning Filipina engineer said she struggled to gain the respect of her male colleagues and get to where she is now.

Forty-two-year-old Engr. Ronnet Closa, who hails from Batangas, said she has had her share of rejections working in a field dominated by men when she started out 21 years ago fresh from college.

Today, Closa is a renowned corporate manager for health, safety and environment (HSE) and sustainability at a pioneering engineering company in UAE where she has been employed for the past 10 years.

"Hindi naging madali lalo na at babae ako. Sinubukan kong maging matatag at matapang para matanggap ako at makabilang sa mga hanay ng kalalakihan. Habang nagwo-work ako, nag-aral din ako at uma-attend ng mga trainings," said Closa, who these days regularly conducts onsite safety inspections of the company's more than 20 ongoing projects across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, mostly skyscrapers and luxury villas, as well as oil and gas companies. 

(It has not been easy, especially because I'm a woman. I tried to be firm and strong to be accepted and be among men. While working, I studied more and attended trainings.)

"Maraming panglalait, pangma-maliit, pagdi-discriminate, at higit sa lahat rejection. Year 2006, sa hundreds kong in-applyan, isang company lang ang tumawag at nagtiwala sa 'kin, tinuruan at inalalayan akong matuto at magka-experience, pina-attend ng mga trainings," added Closa, who also has a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Sustainability Design from Batangas State University (BSU).

(There were lots of put-downs and condescension, discriminations and, most of all, rejections. Year 2006, of the hundreds of companies I have applied at for work, only one got back to me, trusted me, asked me to attend meetings, as well as taught me and guided me to learn and gain experience.)

Closa is currently attending online classes for a bachelor's degree in Law (Juris Doctor).

Based in Abu Dhabi, Closa is thankful that the UAE government has, in recent years, aggressively embarked on a policy of gender-sensitivity and inclusivity in the workplace to help female talents shine.

"With today's gender-sensitive and inclusive workplace, discrimination against women has become a thing of the past," said Closa, a sustainability advocate whose first job was at a Taiwan semiconductor company in 2003.

Engineering runs in the blood. A single mom of a 14-year-old boy named James Jairo, Closa said it was her father who convinced her and her siblings to take up engineering. Four of the five children are now engineers; the other one, a teacher. 

Coming from a financially challenged family, Closa said her parents persevered for them to have a good education. She said she had to take on menial jobs to support herself.

"My life journey was not so easy. Hindi kami lumaking mayaman. Noong maliit pa ako ay nagtitinda kami ng ice candy, banana cue and tinapay. Nagkakasambahay din ako sa mga kamag-anak namin para may extrang pera pambili ng mga kailangan ko sa school at pang-merienda. Ang tatay at inay ko ay nagtitinda ng mga kakanin at isda sa kung saan-saang lugar," she said.

(We didn't grow up rich. When I was a kid, we'd sell ice candy, banana cue and bread. I also worked as domestic help at our relatives' place so that I could have extra money to buy school materials and snacks. My father and mother sold rice cakes and fish anywhere their feet could take them.)

If there was anything Closa learned in life, it's that everyone has a story and a dream to have a bright future and be successful, she said.

"Gaya ko, minsan din ako nangarap at nanalangin na makapag-abroad, makasakay sa eruplano at magkaruon din ng magandang trabaho. Kaya nagsikap akong mag-aral at makapagtapos, nagtrabaho sa ibang bansa, nakisama ng maayos, nagsipag para maging successful one day," she said.

(Like myself, I also once dreamed and prayed that I be able to go abroad, board a plane and have a good job. That’s why I studied hard and finished college, worked in another country, got along well with people and did not give up, to be successful one day.)

Among commendations Closa has receive is the Best Sustainability Contractor of the Year 2022 by the Emirates Green Building Council. She has also been  shortlisted for the Shiekh Hamdan Environmental Award and Big 5 Global Impact Award as Sustainable Contractor of the Year. 

Closa is a member of the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) and has likewise received recognitions from the Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), among others.

A strong advocate of environmental protection against global warming, Closa regularly joins clean-up campaigns and tree-planting activities. At work, she provides trainings on environmental awareness, as well as measures all project resources consumption and material use to reduce their company’s carbon footprint. —KBK, GMA Integrated News