Reuel Molina Aguila, PhD: Remarkable litterateur
Samahan ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. The organization promotes artistic and relevant literature, coming from practical knowledge of society, contributing to its progress and transformation. Kataga is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month.
As Kataga’s founder, Dr. Aguila is convinced that every period in history has a need for writer’s organizations responsive to the needs of their time. He was one of the prime movers of the country’s most famous group of writers in the 1990s, the Galian ng Arte at Tula (GAT) that flourished for 20 years. Since the death of GAT, the void has never been filled. Everyone seemed to have become content resting in their ivory towers, immersing themselves in selfish rhetoric. Totally disengaged from society’s problems, until the soft and insidious cries of the times are heard again.
Kataga is Dr. Aguila’s response to the need of writers to study the distinctive quality of modern times considering the demands of the digital era. He affirms that every writer should be immersed in society, realizing the challenges to the language posed by the uninterruptible flow of information via the internet; the volatility of the Filipino language and youth’s dominant and ever-changing linggo; the emerging crossbreeding of different literary genres; the unexplored terrains of ideas not covered by research which remain unwritten; and the need to propagate readership across the islands, among others.
Dr. Aguila encourages Kataga writers to hone their skills, to undergo serious study, and to consider themselves professionals who need to be adept in their field. He encourages them to go further, beyond the completion of a masterpiece, and beyond citations and awards. He envisions an organization of writers attuned, active and responsive to the needs of the suffering Filipino. At present, Kataga has seven branches: Kataga-Manila, Kataga-Quezon City, Kataga-South Luzon, Kataga-Zambales, Kataga Lucena, Kataga-Lucena Tanghal, and Kataga-Online. As the writer members of Kataga receive the necessary guidance and become masters in their craft, the organization fills the need for a united and astute writer’s group today.
As he retires from teaching at the UP, we might imagine the Gawad Dangal ng Wikang Filipino lifetime achievement awardee to be enjoying the view from there. But no, Dr. Aguila knows only too well as Flaubert once wrote, “I have always tried to live in an ivory tower, but a tide of shit is beating at its walls...,” that he would always find it impossible to rest. We learn from the guru that success does not have to come in one piece like the ivory tower is envisioned. Instead, success could come in fragments, like small rocks carefully, constantly, devotedly, laid one on top of the other becoming a fortress for others to lean on, for the miserable others to rely on, for h i s c o u n t r y m e n ’s c o n t i n u e d protection.
Yes, Reuel Molina Aguila, is one of the Philippines’ remarkable artists, remains imperishable and watchful at a time when the ivory tower seems enchanting once more. He sits pensive, reflecting on the suffering of the Filipino people, his hands ready to pound on the keypad that has replaced his paper and pen. He will tell the story of September again and again, reminding the readers of the lesson of the nation’s bitter fairy tale. This September, as he celebrates his birthday, he might be writing another magnum opus.