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.