Olay:Celedonio Aguilar

Ingles

While still in the grade school, his mother used to tell him to be a priest, to dignify and ameliorate their state of life; but the father would vehemently counter, no, he should be a lawyer. As always during the eve of the fiesta, Celedonio G. Aguilar earnestly desire to watch the parade with deep interest and enthusiasm especially when the platoon of soldiers march by and roiled in his mind the well-mannered discipline and dignity of mien of the soldiers, that someday, he thought and figured himself to be one of them. So when he enrolled at the Albay High School, after his academic classes, posthaste he would scurry out to his custodial concern, joined the formation of the preparatory military training activities. Through the years he rose from the ranks to become battalion commander. It was October, during his senior year in school that he hide down to the military camp to take the Philippine Military Academy Examination, but the Japanese Imperial forces landed at legazpi on December 14, 1941 thus throwing his ambition to be a soldier to the winds. However during the Japanese occupation, he joined the guerilla movement (NOMETA) Noli Me Tangere Guerilla as 2nd Lieutenant. He was enraptured with much interest when the American Force landed at legazpi on april 1, 1945. And NOMETA unit became 1st. Battalion of Sandico’s 52nd Division Guerilla Unit was re – entrenched to a company and merge to first Regiment Bicol Brigade that include him in the activated regular force of the Philippine Army as First class Private. Utterly disgusted he resigned from the army and applied to teach in the District of camalig as a substitute teacher. After a year of teaching, he became a temporary teacher and was appointed head teacher at Del Rosario Public School. Three years after classroom work, he resigned to pursue a degree in education and Graduated in 1951 at the National University, Manila. He first taught at Libon Private High School, after a year, transferred to St. John’s Academy in Camalig where his former student, Mrs. Minda Grageda Muñoz in their St. John’s Academy Golden Anniversary Souvenir booklet, In Retrospect elucidated; “Mr. Aguilar is a tall respectable man, eloquent and dedicated English instructor. We were all eyes and ears for him when he’s in front of the class, listening intently and spellbound to his interesting lecture. He was forthright and his dignified stature demanded respect.” In the same booklet, Reminiscing Our High School days with our Mentors, Mrs. Josefina Nuas Ramos averred, “Mr. Aguilar was our English teacher. He spoke English fluently. He developed our interest in reading literature and novels. He is a writer. Some of his books are: Shaken Shadows, Time and Sunken Sun, This Season and Night, Pink Sun and Neutral Dust, Readings in Philippine Literature, Speaking and Writing English, Critiques on Poetry, Understanding Poetry through imagery, Thesis Writing Made Easy, Functional Research Techniques, Dimensions in Reading, and Before the Tide Sets In.”

Then the Civil Sevice Commission, in a letter, ordered him to report to Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School to teach English, non – compliance will be tantamount to scrapping out his civil service eligibility. Banners in The Quill, student publication of Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School, that new teacher added to MORMS Teaching Force,”one of them was MR. Aguilar of Camalig, Albay who had his first feel of teaching in 1945 when he accepted a teaching position in a barrio elementary school in the District of Camalig. But three years teaching in the elementary, resigned to enroll at National University, where in 1951 obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Educational major in English and minor in history. He taught for five years at St. John’s Academy. During summer enrolled at U.P. for masteral degree.” He enjoyed immensely his secondary teaching adventure. Especially his literature teaching which spurred in him for more writing for publication in the national magazines: This Week Magazine, Free Press, Sunday Times Magazine, Graphic, Solidarity, etc. Through the suggestion of Bienvenido N. Santos, he organized Albay Writers with membership officials as: Dr. Rodrigo Salazar, Valdemar Olaguer, Jose Ravalo, Vic O. Ballesfin, and 15 other budding writers of Albay with Celedonio G. Aguilar as President and Bienvinido Santos as Adviser. At one instance, through Santos, N.V.M. Gonzales was guest speaker of the group along with Hilario Francia and Petronilo Daroy.

To cap it all, he was elected President of the Albay Secondary Teachers Association which perhaps paved the way for his selection for the Master of Art in Teaching Reading Scholarship at the University of the Philippines. In the Class 76 reunion at MORMS of which Dr. Susan Princesa Mallonga was the President presented to him a certificate, which states: “Class 76”presents this certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Celedonio G. Aguilar for his demonstrated patience, hard work and dedication in molding our young minds in the pursuit of our secondary education, most of all, giving us the foundation in academic excellence, and teaching us values of honesty, diligence, sincerity and humility,”

After enjoying the DECS scholarships, he was promoted to Junior College Instructor and assigned to School for Philippine a Craftsmen, Polangui, Albay. In The Craftlet official student publication of School for Philippine Craftsmen, in Campus Tidbits by June Ailes where she spot lighted and enunciated campus personalities, she articulated on Mr. Aguilar as “our beloved English instructor and his being very energetic to drill us in writing as if he was ink in his veins, for he has several collection of poetry which he considers his vice: together with his scholarships at U.P. and Silliman University. Indeed how lucky we are to be our instructor.” On School visitation of the Regional Director at SPC observing teachers, he spotted Mr. Aguilar for promotion to Regional General Education Supervisor, at which instance, he devoted his time after office hours to teaching at Bicol College and then to Divine Word College of Legazpi. Then retired from the government service. Outrightly, Bicol College took him to be Dean of the College of Education with only secondary teaching as the course offered. So he formalized the opening of the elementary grades in preparation for the opening of Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (BSEed). At point and time, Mr. Manuel T. Javier, Bicol College Faculty and Adviser of Bicol Collegian, Student Publication of the School, wrote a feature which said: If the Colossus of Rhodes has been one wonders of the world in the days of antiquity, it has its equal in our present time at our school at that. We are referring to Dr. Celedonio G. Aguilar as the mighty colossus. Aside from being Dean of the College of Education, he is also Secretary of the Graduate School, twin positions enough to stymie the most intrepid of men, but not this titan. He savors these burdens with gusto. His student is the living witness to his pedagogical virtuosity. They would swear to high heaven how this man could change adrab classroom into exciting arena of intellectual combat where educational myths and heresies are blasted and intellectual pursuits are probed and defend.”

Eventually a year after, he became the Dean of the Graduated School. As Dean of the Graduate School, he worked for the opening of the doctoral program subsequently a year later, through the help of his friend in the Higher Education Division, Manila, its recognition, a help exerted to boost Bicol College’s headway to educational permanence. But resigned later on when University of Santo Thomas called him for interview in connection to his application to teach at that school. But Fr. Reyes, President of Divine Word College of Legazpi and was to be promoted to higher position in Manila, sweet talked him to teach rather the King Seminary in Quezon City, which he accepted. He only taught half – day at the Seminary which gave him ample time for research, and call to mind, the dearth of specific books for the subject he taught in college, such as Philippine Literature, so Readings in Philippines Literature was written, Grammar and Composition, for Speaking and writing English, literary Criticism, for Critiques on Poetry, Poetry and Drama, for Understanding Poetry through Imagery, and for Graduate Students, Thesis Writing Made Easy, and Functional Research Techniques, for teacher and would be teacher, Dimension in Reading and Before the Tide Sets In.

He also included in foreign and local anthologies: World Poetry by Kim Young Sam (Korea), East – West Voices by Dr. V.S. Skanda Prasad, (Mangalore, India), Edicao Commemorativo by Wilson Oliviera Jasa, (Sao Paulo, Brazil), and National Library of Poetry: Walk Through Paradise 1995, Portraits of Life 1996, Owing Mills, Maryland, USA, Bicol Voice Anthology by Merito B. Espinas, Bicol of the Philippines by Lilia Realubit, Ani by Cultural Center of the Philippines, Palihan by U.P. Creative Writing Center.

On the outset of June, a letter from Mayor’s Office, requested all occupational pursuits an Camalig to submit their Bio – Data emphasizing their significant accomplishments in their chosen job career, such as: Civic Action Movement, business enterprises, inventions, constructions, mentors to take from classroom teacher, principals, (district, division, regional) supervisors, college professors, and Deans of schools who are legitimate Camaligueños. In view of his teaching feat, scholarship, written books that benefited college and graduates students throughout the country and his Doctor of Education degree from Bicol University, prompted the award as outstanding Camaligueños in the field of EDUCATION (along with other professional pursuits) June 24, 2005 camalig’s town fiesta by the Camalig Council on Arts, Culture and Tourism to Dr. Celedonio G. Aguilar.

Apathetically he muttered, if only there is a school who would avail of his expertise on the subjects corresponding to his written books, he is still willing to teach, for teaching to him is a life time endeavor, not anymore for remuneration, with life and Comfort, but to deciminate and share the knowledge he has learned from his scholarships by the DECS in Master of Arts in Teaching Reading at U.P. Diliman, QC, Master of fine Art in Creative Writing a Silliman University under the Tiempos (Edilberto and Edith) and William Sweet, Master of Arts in Educational Management.

Celedonio G. Aguilar Died on January 22, 2013 at age of 89

An kahamanan niya sa buhay dapat masurat asin masaray komo sarong panalmingan na pag'arogan kan mga bagong tawo. Kun dai ini bibikolon pwede gayod ibalyo sa Wikipidyang Ingles. Ringer 10:30 30 Agosto 2009