Arrived from the 4:30 PM GHQ [Philippine Militaary General Headquarters] briefing on the military situation, BSDU [Barrio Self-Defense Units] and the upsurge of smuggling.
Dinner with the officers and men and then another dinner in Pasig Capitol where I delivered a speech to the barristers.
Got the legal aid clinics beginning with Clasp, Philippine Bar Asso., Phil. Lawyers’ Asso., Ateneo legal aid, Wiloci, Jaycees, Knights of Columbus, etc. to agree to unite and integrate all efforts and I would authorize a single fund drive so that the indigent may have a lawyer as the Bill of Rights is useless without a lawyer.
The cultural association is recommended to be equally integrated by Atty. Crispin Baizas.
Ordered the Vice President to attend to the land-grabbing cases which fall under his department.
I will have to appoint Sec. of Justice [Felix] Makasiar as Justice of the Supreme Court soon. The Solicitor General can take his place and USec. Ramon Fernandez can become the Solicitor General. Ramon Aquino could become USec. of Justice vice Fernandez.
Official Gazette for July 25, 1970: After going through a sheaf of state papers on his desk early in the morning, President Marcos received a group of lawyers representing various legal aid organizations. The lawyers took up with the President the problems of counsel encountered by poor citizens, and during the discussion of the question, the President suggested that all existing legal aid groups be integrated into a single organization so that as such it can better serve the poor and the ignorant who go to court for redress or to protect their rights.
Present at the meeting were Sen. Salvador II. Laurel, Juan T. David, Gonzalo Gonzales, Crispin Baisas and Juan L. Luna of the Philippine Bar Association and the CLASP, Teresita Sison of WILOCI, Rodolfo Palattao of the Capitol Jaycees, Cresencio Magbag of the Knights of Columbus, Roger Garcia of San Beda, and Raul Roque, Rodolfo Jimenez, Roger Cortez, Romy Vicente, Jose Cardona, Cesar Uy and Francisco Reyes of the Ateneo Legal Aid Center.
The rest of the day was spent by the President on state papers, except for a long break in mid-afternoon when he presided at a meeting of AFP brass at the GHQ building in Camp Aguinaldo. One of the directives which the President issued from his desk was the order to the AFP to build parks within military reservations, both to preserve vanishing Philippine flora and to provide people with recreation areas which emphasize the natural beauty of the country.