And while he's not the first politician to serve as police minister without a law enforcement background, he is the first professional architect to hold the blueprint for national security. While drawing up law enforcement strategy is a far cry from designing buildings, the New Minister insists the core function is exactly the same: strict project management.
Jules Vasquez
"It's not that police officers become ministers of national security or home affairs, as the case is, but you will be the first architect for sure to be the minister of home affairs. You know, you deal with physical structures. You said you're a project manager, but policing, as you know, is a mix of social science, behavioral science, sociology, all these things that socioeconomics as well, all these things that are, some would say, completely foreign to you. You're a man who works with drawings and structures."
Julius Espat, Minister of Home Affairs
"That's part of the training, yes. But also part of the training is planning. I don't mean by design planning, but planning in general, where you sit with team players."
"And that is applicable to any opportunity that one has to manage. You have to understand the scenario. You have to understand what you've said, the socio-economic factor. You have to understand the policing factor."
"But as a manager, you rely on experience and you rely on people that know. At no point in time will I tell you that I know, but I know how to work with people. I know how to hopefully bring out the best out of people. Hopefully."
