CARLOS OJEDA AUREUS

CARLOS OJEDA AUREUS

NAGUEÑO

1947 - 2024

Carlos Ojeda Aureus, a native of Naga City has gone to be with the Lord. Professor Aureus (Caloy) was born in Naga City on December 21, 1947 to parents Mariano S. Aureus and Teresita Ojeda-Aureus. He was educated at the Naga Parochial School, the Holy Rosary Seminary, the Ateneo de Naga College, the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain, and Fordham University in New York.

Caloy was a retired UP professor in Comparative Literature and English where he held a Diamond Jubilee Professorial Chair. He taught Latin and Spanish at UP’s Department of European Languages and also lectured on Quantum Physics.

The UP faculty, in a tribute to Caloy remember him as an esteemed professor, a generous mentor, and a cherished colleague.

Former students described him as one of the most amazing professors in UP.

His highly acclaimed book Nagueños, about people and places in Naga, has won first place honors in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, The Free Press, Graphic, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. A walking tour of Naga (The Nagueños Walking Tour) following the stories in his book is an ongoing event in Naga.

Together with other Bicol writers Caloy also organized the first Bicol Writer’s Workshop held in Naga in 1993 which triggered the renaissance of writing in Bicol several years later.

Despite his brilliance and numerous other accolades, Caloy lived a quiet and humble life. His hobbies were cooking, going to market, and reading. He wanted to be remembered simply as a retired public-school teacher.