Living legend would be an understatement to describe Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Juan "Johnny" Ponce Enrile, who is the iconic symbol of Filipino resilience.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos puts full confidence in Enrile, who he called in one interview as being "like my uncle."

Enrile was Ferdinand Marcos Sr. or FM's secretary of finance in 1968, then his secretary of justice in 1970 and Defense Minister in 1972 until the EDSA Revolt in 1986 that deposed FM.

Incidentally, Enrile was among the main personalities in the uprising.

The young Marcos, nonetheless, said that he wanted Enrile by his side because of his brilliance.

"He is one of maybe the three best lawyers that I know in the Philippines," according to the President.

"As a legal adviser, he certainly fits the bill," Marcos said.

The primary mandate of his office will be to protect the President, according to Enrile.

"We will have to see to it that his name, his reputation and his position in history will not be damaged," the President's confidante said.

"We want him to be one of the best if not the best President that this country ever had," Enrile indicated.

"The country is facing several problems, our elected leaders are also engulfed in these problems, not because they do not have the capability but they are also victims to what is happening in the world," Enrile said.

The problems that the Marcos administration is not unique to the country but the whole planet is affected.

Legal wizard

Enrile's legal savvy was useful to Marcos in firming up a position amid the debates over the Maharlika Investment Fund in which he took a pragmatic view that the proposal, although with good intentions, should be subjected to an intense assessment.