Messages from Our Leaders

In July 1975, nearly three years after the declaration of Martial Law, the government’s promise of a progressive new society remained unfulfilled. It was in this climate of uncertainty that Howard Q. Dee (HQD) and Fr. Fritz Araneta founded the Assisi Development Foundation (ADF) to pursue development programs focused on the poor. Over the past five decades, ADF has implemented a wide range of initiatives, which includes sustainable agriculture, educational assistance, child n

As we celebrate the 50th year of the Assisi Development Foundation , we are invited to reflect with profound gratitude, humility, and renewed resolve for service. Assisi was born not merely as an organization, but as a shared mission between two friends—Fr. Francis Araneta, SJ and Ambassador Howard Q. Dee—who, in the turmoil of the 1970s and under Martial Law, made a bold, faith-rooted response against poverty and inequality in the Philippines. What started as a partnership g