Press Release
September 20, 2011

Senate commends Fr. Pierre Tritz

The Senate adopted a resolution today commending Fr. Pierre Tritz for helping poor Filipino children go to school.

"For the last 60 years, Fr. Pierre Tritz devoted his life to help disadvantaged Filipino children get their education and gave them opportunities to improve lives," Sen. Francis Pangilinan, author of Senate Resolution 594, said during a sponsorship speech.

"Fr. Tritz, who turned 97 yesterday, still continues his good work to help children get their education and as such deserves such commendation," Pangilinan added.

Fr. Tritz, a French Jesuit who came to the Philippines in 1950, devoted his life to help indigent children get formal schooling.

In 1974, Fr. Tritz gave up his French citizenship and became a naturalized Filipino. He worked full time with children in poor communities and established the Educational Research and Development Assistance Foundation (ERDA) to provide educational assistance to indigent children.

He also founded the Foundation for the Assistance to Hansenites to help the Department of Health eradicate and control leprosy in the country in 1978, the ERDA Tech Foundation vocational secondary school in 1993 where indigent children can earn their high school education and learn employable skills and the Albert Schweitzer Association Philippines to assist children-in-conflict with the law in 1955.

Pangilinan said the ERDA, in coordination with other Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and institutions, had helped more than 430,000 indigent children go back to school for the last 35 years.

"At 97 years old, Fr. Tritz remains driven and motivated to continue his life of service to help out-of-school youths and underprivileged children go to school. Fr. Tritz is truly a man of character and a man of God. His noble deeds and outstanding achievements are worthy of emulation and distinction," Pangilinan said in his resolution.

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