Last December 1, 2009, Fritz R. Gemperle joined his Creator and left a void in the lives of his relatives, friends, and beneficiaries of his numerous initiatives to help the underprivileged, especially the rural poor.

Much before terms like “preferential option for the poor,” and “corporate social responsibility” became fashionable in the business community, Fritz – who lived a full life by reaching the age of 81 – had included uplifting the conditions of the poor as an integral part of his business activities. He was always concerned about the material and spiritual welfare of the employees in the various business undertakings of which he formed part. Although he was one of the pioneers in the importation of elevators to the Philippines, his real passion was agribusiness. He managed a large coconut plantation in Davao and through his in-laws, he was also very knowledgeable in the management of sugar farms.

He always combined his technical competence with his humanitarian concern for the coconut and sugar workers under his employ.

Having had a Swiss parentage, he always considered productivity and efficiency as a major social responsibility of any business operation – whether in agriculture, industry, or services. He was very demanding of himself and of the people who worked with him, always determined to do ordinary things extraordinarily well. He lived very well the spirituality he learned from St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. He knew what it meant to strive for sanctity through his ordinary work.

Ordinary farmers in at least six Philippine provinces will remember him as the founder of the Family Farm School system which has upgraded the skills and general education of thousands of young farmers over the last 21 years. I still remember attending the inauguration of the first Family Farm School in a barrio called Dagatan in Lipa, Batangas, on August 8, 1988, with former President Corazon Aquino as the guest of honor.

The Dagatan Family Farm School was established after some two years of preparation in which Fritz was the moving force. He traveled to several places in Spain to observe how these farm schools were operated on the basis of a work-study program in which children of small farmers were taught how to make the farms of their respective parents more productive, thus improving the earning potentials of these rural households. From Batangas, the FFS spread to Laguna, Iloilo, Negros Oriental, Mindoro, and other provinces.

Some of these family farm schools are increasingly incorporating entrepreneurial training in their curricula in order to help farmers transform themselves into small business managers. As the Philippine economy evolves, many of the graduates of the FFS system will go beyond farming to start rural industries and service establishments. The seed that Fritz planted has grown into a large tree with many branches that will help transform the Philippine countryside. What Fritz has left as his legacy to the rural areas is being replicated by other NGOs and local governments. Those who are interested in the Family Farm School system may contact Mr. Arnold Morfe at afmorfe@gmail.com. . For comments, my e-mail address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.