OFW now Dubai engineer leading ‘ilaw to the barrios’ efforts in PH provinces

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – From selling “tusok-tusok” in front of their house in Manila to being the head of a Filipino engineers’ group in Dubai, whose projects include electric power restoration in the Philippine countryside.

This is how life played out for 49-year-old engineer Marlon Burgos Hipolito of Bulacan.

His father passed on when Hipolito was just a year old, leaving him in the care of his grandmother, who saw to it that he would finish school.

Fresh from the University of the East – Manila where he earned his degree in electrical engineering in 1999, Hipolito, then 22, chose to work in order to support his wife and son, rather than take the board exams.

“We sold all sorts of things. Stayed awake all night to sell liquor and ‘pulutan’ to neighbors. Then, sold ‘tusok-tusok’ (barbecues) in front of the house in the day. This helped sustain our needs,” he said.

Hipolito got his first job as an electrician in a manufacturing company in the Philippines, working 12 hours a day – a humble beginning that would later become the foundation of a remarkable career.

“I also started selling shoes to workers. I would buy in bulk in Quiapo and sell through installment arrangements to factory workers as an additional source of income,” he recalled.

Two years after graduation, Hipolito pursued his long-delayed dream of becoming a licensed engineer and spent weekends at the review center while working on weekdays.

He passed the Registered Electrical Engineer board exam on his first attempt and then continued to work in four different companies in the Philippines, gaining valuable hands-on experience and deepening his technical expertise.

He flew to Dubai in 2007 and was hired by the city’s big contracting firm as an engineer.

Later on, Hipolito went to Qatar and worked there during the COVID-19 pandemic. He then went home, opened a food retail business – but decided to return to Dubai as he realized that his heart “belonged to the engineering field.”

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Hipolito is also a passionate advocate for Filipino engineers in the Middle East.

He is an active member of the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines (IIEE) – UAE Chapter, where he served on its board of directors in 2021, then as vice president for external affairs in 2022, and now as the incumbent chapter president.

Among the IIEE-UAE’s programs is the Oplan Dagitab, a major corporate social responsibility initiative centered on electric power restoration, alternative electrification and electrical inspection in rural areas back home.

This year, some of the areas that they conducted the Balik Liwanag projects were: Barangay Sigma and Barangay Tapaz in Capiz; Barangay Polipol in San Gabriel, La Union; Barangay Bonglo in Licuan-Baay in Abra and Barangay Bi-ao in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.

“These are those with existing lighting but were damaged due to calamity. We restore the light through tie-up chapters in the Philippines. They execute the project; we plan and finance it,” Hipolito said.

The IIEE-UAE also conducts “Brigada Eskwela” initiatives to refurbish schools. Their beneficiaries are the Soldier’s Hills Elementary School in Muntinlupa City; Las Piñas National High School-Almanza in Las Piñas City; Bonglo Elementary School; Sampaloc-Site II Elementary School and Marcelo Green Elementary School in Parañaque City; and Jose Rizal Elementary School in Pasay City.

“We inspect the electrical outlets and lightings before the school year starts,” said Hipolito.

Indeed, from an electrician to project manager, award-winning engineer, and community leader, Hipolito’s life is a testament to perseverance, faith, and purpose. — JMA, GMA Integrated News