Franklin H. Maletsky

Founder of:

• Universal Stewardship - A way of life
• HSSSS.- Martial Arts
• Chavacano online Dictionary - Language of Zamboanga City

Early Life:

Frank Maletsky grew up in Tumaga, Zamboanga City, Philippines, as the 10th of 11 siblings. He was raised in a highly competitive and disciplined environment, where respect and a strong sense of duty to family were top priorities. At that time, their home was located in a very rural area with no electricity or running water, though they did have a deep well. Firewood had to be gathered, and water had to be fetched, tasks typically assigned to the younger siblings. Cooking and laundry were the responsibilities of the women, while the men took care of the animals and farming. Everyone in the family contributed to the household chores.

Education;

• Primary 1-4 @ Tumaga Elementary School
• Primary 5-6 @ Ateneo de Zamboanga
• High school @ Ateneo de Zamboanga - graduated in 1967
• College @ Ateneo de Zamboanga with a major in Bachelors of Science in Commerce - Graduated in 1972 
• University of San Francisco (USF) - Short course in Computer Science in 1974

Deep Involvement in Sustainable Farming and Gardening

Before he even attended first grade, Frank was already learning the basics of gardening and animal care from his mother. He served as her assistant, helping to care for pigs and chickens, tending to her small herbal garden, and even learning to patch fences. His early exposure to farming set the stage for a lifelong connection to agriculture.

The primary school Frank attended incorporated gardening into its curriculum, where students maintained their own garden plots. Although not graded, this practice taught children an invaluable lesson: vegetables don’t grow in the market—they grow from the soil, through hard work and care.

Agriculture became deeply embedded in Frank’s psyche. His oldest brother taught him how to plow with a carabao pulling the plow. Through observation and participation, he learned to grow peanuts, corn, tomatoes, long green beans, and eggplants. In his teenage years, harvesting mangoes from towering trees became an adventure. He often joined the mango gatherers and occasionally delivered the harvest to the downtown market before dawn, aligning with the schedule of wholesalers.

In the 1990s, Frank and his family moved to Minnesota, USA, where he owned and operated a 260-acre farm. The farm focused on two main crops: corn and alfalfa. Frank also ran a hog-finishing operation, managing around 400 pigs at any given time.

After returning to the Philippines in 2001, Frank ventured into commercial gardening. He grew pechay, mustard, radishes, and carrots, selling them wholesale with the help of three paid workers. The work was entirely manual, with no automation involved. Alongside gardening, Frank started a piggery operation with 25 sows. He handled artificial insemination, while his wife, Lori, assisted with gestation care and the birthing process. Frank also performed castrations and oversaw the finishing of pigs, which were sold at 100 kilos each.

In 2009, after moving back to the United States, Frank continued his passion for farming through backyard gardening at his home.

Sports and Martial Arts

At a very early age, he was active in sports: swimming, basketball, softball, and games like tag. Boxing and Arnis came even earlier—well before grade school. Karate was introduced in high school. He participated in tournaments and became a champion in 1970. He established his own dojo in Tumaga, and later, after leaving the Philippines, he opened another dojo in Walnut Creek, California, in 1975.

A career shift to the transportation industry changed his focus, and martial arts and sports became more private but never stopped. To this day, he remains active in martial arts.

His involvement with Universal Stewardship

Franklin H. Maletsky developed the philosophy of Universal Stewardship in 1969 while he was a martial arts student and deeply involved with the Jesuit way of life. He began sharing the principles of Universal Stewardship early on, teaching them at his own karate dojo in Tumaga, Zamboanga City. Although his dojo became a branch of the main club downtown, he mostly taught for free, with most of his students being family, cousins, and friends.

Today, his main focus is building the Universal Stewardship Academy, with Maletsky Mart serving as his way to generate funds for the school. His long-term goal is to see the principles of Universal Stewardship adopted in governance and educational systems worldwide.

Quotes from Franklin H Maletsky

RESPECT - Honor every individual. True peace begins by recognizing the value in each person you meet.

Shared Article from Universal Stewardship:

Prudence encompasses the skill, ability, or wisdom to make choices that not only consider potential consequences but also aim to avoid conflict and promote what is right and beneficial to both oneself and humanity.

It is a proactive approach that seeks to navigate situations with care and foresight, recognizing that conflict can have detrimental effects on relationships. By exercising prudence, individuals uphold the Commandment to “never maliciously deprive” or the golden rule: “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you” and actively work towards preserving harmony and fostering peace and happiness. Through the conscious consideration of actions and their potential impact, prudence becomes a guiding principle in making wise and virtuous decisions that contribute to the greater good.

>>>> Continue Rading..