[p.72] I have sworn in the new cabinet members [see footnote] during my speech before the Constitutional Convention members during the cocktail for them at 5:00 PM at the reception hall except for the new Executive Secretary, Alex [Alejandro] Melchor [Jr.], whom I swore in the evening at 7:10 when Iñing [Eugenio] Lopez [Sr.] and Nanding
Official Gazette for February 8, 1970: President and Mrs. Marcos honored the surviving members of the Constitutional Convention with a reception in Malacañang. In brief remarks, the President expressed the belief that while we recognize the virtues of the Constitution, we must also recognize the fact that no Constitution can remain static, unmoving, unchangeable, inflexible or rigid, nor preserve the prescription of a bygone age while the world move on to new frontiers. “For it to embody the nation’s soul,” the President said, “for it to speak its voice and pulsate with the nation’s heartbeat, it must move and grow with time, reflecting the metamorphosis and evolutions of our values and our mores.”
The President also said that the Constitution must also contain utmost understanding of human conditions and frailties and weaknesses, bordering on tolerance, because it is not only the recognized framework of government, but the source-spring and the very vitality of the institutions. “It must also develop particular sensitivity to the various demands of our people, including the minorities of our society. It must resound with responsibility, and guarantee the protection of the rights of every citizen, whoever he may be; whether engaged in violence or not, and even the latter still has rights. This is the beauty of the Constitution,” the President added. (See pp. 1550-1553 for full text of the President’s remarks.)
Later in the afternoon, the President inducted into office five newly-appointed members of the Cabinet and one official of lower rank. Inducted were: 1) Former Secretary of Justice Juan Ponce Enrile, Jr., as acting Secretary of National Defense. 2) Chairman of the Board of Investments Cesar E. A. Virata, as acting Secretary of Finance. 3) Former Solicitor General Felix V. Makasiar, as acting Secretary of Justice. 4) Director-General Placido Mapa, Jr., concurrently as Chairman of the National Economic Council. 5) Administrator Constancio E. Castañeda of the Office of Economic Coordination, as Secretary of General Services. 6) Newly-appointed Court of Appeals Justice Felix Antonio, as Solicitor general.
The President also announced the appointment of Brig. Gen. Florencio Medina (ret.) nuclear physicist, as chairman of the National Science Development Board. Gen. Medina, however, could not take his oath as he is in Bangkok. The President announced that Secretaries Ernesto Mata of Defense, Eduardo Romualdez of Finance, and Salih Ututalum of General Services, and Chairman Marcelo Balatbat of the National Economic Council and Juan Salcedo of the National Science Development Board have all retired from the government. However, the President said that he will recommend Ututalum to the Board of Regents of the Mindanao State University, for MSU president, and expressed the hope that he may be prevailed upon to stay in the service. The President administered the oath of office to the new officials in the presence of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the judiciary, and surviving- members of the Philippine Constitutional Convention.
In announcing the new appointments, the President said that it was his desire to engage the services of young men who can help face the problems now confronted by government. He said that evolving problems of government must be faced by men qualified to do so mainly because they belong to those who can confront the present generation with imagination, with confidence, with talent with patriotism and with vision. The President also inducted into office former Defense Undersecretary Alejandro Melchor as Executive Secretary, vice Secretary Ernesto Maceda. Secretary Melchor took his oath of office in the presence of the other newly-inducted members of the Cabinet and other officials led by Vice President Lopez
[Fernando Lopez], Heny [Eugenio] Lopez [Jr.] and the Chronicle and ABS-CBN staff came to have dinner with us.
Iñing was very touchy even arrogant, Heny was non-committal and I[ndalencio] P. Soliongco kept repeating that nothing would be the same again and that we would have to listen to the voice of the students as this was the voice of the people.
I kept repeating to [Ernesto] Ernie Granada that he should not push me to [Henry] Byroade and the Americans.
It is my feeling that the Lopezes are going to do their best to undermine against us.
Met with [Antonio] Tony Pastelero brought by Angel Concepcion, former secretary of Sen. Camilo Osias, as well as Fernando (Gerry) Barican this noon for lunch with the first and the latter at 4:00 PM. They both promised to stop the talk about my resignation after I convinced them that if I were not around the military would take over. This is apparently feared by everyone including them.
Barican today has warned of a take over by the Jesuit-Fascist-CIA combine.
We really should warn our people of this. But today I met also with the Jesuit novices who want to be strengthened by my granting their demands (of the NUSP [National Union of Students of the Philippines]). I agreed to this to widen the split between them (the moderates) and the radicals.