He may not be a popular public figure as the others, but
incoming Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana is
a veteran combat officer who, as a young army second lieutenant, fought the
communist rebels and Muslim insurgents when war broke out in Mindanao
in 1973.
Yet, retired Gen. Lorenzana's humility is his biggest asset
as an officer and gentleman. Another trait of him is that he is hardworking.
When President-elect Rodrigo R. Duterte announced that his
choice of Defense secretary is Lorenzana, currently the special presidential
representative head of the Office of Veterans Affairs based in Washington , D.C.
Apparently, the incoming President knows the capability of
Gen. Lorenzana, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Class of
1973.
Lorenzana displayed his mettle in combat when he and his PMA
classmates got their baptism of fire in Mindanao
-- fighting the rebels of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1973 --
immediately after they graduated from the academy.
"I am proud to be a PMAer but prouder still to be a
member of Class '73 - one of the smallest classes to ever graduate after the
war (World War II)," Lorenzana said.
"Our class was the first PMA graduate of the Martial
Law era. As soon as we got our commission, we went off to fight the NPA (New
People's Army) and MNLF - a job that we are still doing today," he added.
Gen. Lorenzana continued: "We bore the brunt of the
secessionist and insurgency wars. To lose only a few of our mistahs is indeed a
miracle... We just doggedly did our jobs to the best of our abilities and
slowly climbed the ladder of command," he recalled.
He said he is proud to be a PMAer because "being a
PMAer means being a professional. It means doing the things right; it means
knowing how to subordinate one's personal choices or comforts or likes in favor
of a higher aim or objective... It means having the character, that purity of
heart and intentions. It means knowing one's job; it means knowing how to be a
leader; it means giving more than what is normally asked. It means having the
initiative and being able to think ahead. It means having the stability
under pressure, it means having able to think and act on one's feet."
As Defense secretary, Gen. Lorenzana will take over the helm
of the DND from outgoing Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, also a graduate of
PMA, Class 1968.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=895848
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