“I had my Aha! moment in 2008 after watching a free cleft-and-palate surgery, and saw how, in just three weeks, the lives of children were drastically changed. It opened my eyes to what we really do in Rotary. We change the lives of others! My Aha! Moment changed my life, too. For the last 10 years, the International Children Surgical Foundation (ICSF) and my club in Dipolog just kept doing the cleft-andpalate surgeries,” said Gov. Lindon See-Diet, governor of District 3850
See-Diet’s Aha! Moment came a full 1decade after he joined Rotary. He was already a Paul Harris Fellow but the inspiration totally won him over. He was elected club president in 2014, at which time he became a Major Donor. He held important positions in the district until he was elected governor.
Before Rotary, See-Diet was an electrical engineer who earned his bachelor’s degree in 1981 from the University of San Carlos. He worked as a project electrical engineer, a computer system analyst, and an aircraft power plant system specialist. In 1990, he went to the San Diego State University in the USA to take up graduate studies in Computer Science, and worked with the US Navy until 1994.
He came back to the Philippines and joined the familyowned Dipolog Friendly Mart to focus on system and product development. In 1995, he entered the real-estate development industry with SD Properties, Inc., a business that exists to this day.
See-Diet is known as a hardworking governor who carries his own laptop, and attends a Rotary event with as little fanfare as possible. In business as in Rotary, he is a self-made gentleman who shows a high degree of respect for others. The Rotarians in his district fondly call him a “True Blue-Blooded Rotarian,” reminiscent of the medieval European belief that nobility had blue blood flowing in their veins. It is a term of endearment for a well-loved governor.
See-Diet will never tire of reminding his district to keep things simple, to avoid ostentatious presentations and events. He has created an acronym for “SIMPLE,” which adds more meaning to the word than just being uncomplicated.
Here’s See-Diet’s meaning of “SIMPLE” :
S-incere in actions
I-nspiring in whatever he does
M-odest in achievement
P-assionate in service
L-eader by example
E-xcellent in all endeavors
See-Diet is a loving father to four adorable daughters, and an affectionate husband to Elma
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