Philippines
Like a true tactician, Lorenzana weighs pros, cons of possible Senate bid
Like a true tactician, Lorenzana weighs pros, cons of possible Senate bid
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed Tuesday, Oct. 5, that he thought of running for senator in the upcoming May 2022 elections but like a true tactician that he is, the retired military general used a unique way to determine the pros and cons of his possible political bid.
Lorenzana, on his Twitter account, posted a photo of a "decision matrix analysis" which he used to list down the criteria that he considered before deciding on his senate bid.
"Earlier this year, a number of friends, heads of political parties, businesses, and campaign volunteers have urged me to go for it, citing my good government service track record," the 72-year-old DND Chief said.
"But two months ago, I sat down and used a decision grid -- a useful decision-making tool," he added.
In his matrix, Lorenzana posed a question to himself: Should I run for senator in 2022?
Among the many things considered by Lorenzana include: his political bid's value to the nation, his desirability to run, its value to his reputation, the probability of success if he says 'yes,' funding and cost, agreement of his family, security, health impacts, support of the people, time requirement, and his values, ethics, and principles.
Lorenzana then gave each of the criteria individual values and tallied it. The results were 314 'Yeses,' '418 Maybes,' and overwhelming '670 Nos.'
"I would like to apologize to those who reached out for support and those who feel let down by my decision," he said.
"I thank them for their support and vote of confidence. I shall continue with my present job and strive to finish it a high note," he added.
Lorenzana was appointed by President Duterte as the 36th Secretary of the DND on June 30, 2016, bringing to the department "his expertise in national defense and security, special operations, foreign military affairs, public diplomacy, veteran affairs, and strategic leadership," according to the DND.
He graduated at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Maagap" Class of 1973 and served for 29 years in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as a commander of Army infantry units, staff positions in various Army headquarters, and at AFP General Headquarters.
He retired from active military service in 2004 but continued to serve in the government as the head of the Office of the Veteran Affairs at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC until June 2016.