Atty Benedicto R Bacani

Fr William F Masterson SJ Award
For contributions to social development

In the heart of Mindanao’s struggle for peace, autonomy, and justice, one voice has consistently resonated with clarity, compassion, and courage - that of Atty Benedicto R Bacani. Through decades of service as a lawyer, educator, and advocate, he has walked with communities and leaders, always believing that meaningful change is possible when it is rooted in dialogue, dignity, and the power of the people.

Born on 7 October 1964 in Cotabato City, married to Rowena Rebosa Bacani and blessed with their daughter Hannah Beatriz Bacani, Atty Benedicto Bacani has combined academic grounding with on-the-ground leadership in peacebuilding and governance. A lawyer admitted to the Philippine Bar in March 1994, he earned his Juris Doctor from Manuel L Quezon University (1987-1992), after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with minors in Religious Studies and English from Notre Dame University (1981-1986). In 2000-2001, he was awarded a prestigious Humphrey Fellowship in Mediation, Conflict Management, and Federalism at the Hubert H Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, USA.

Through the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), which he leads as Founder and Executive Director, Atty Bacani played a crucial role in shaping the discourse and policy direction of the Bangsamoro peace process. Under his leadership, IAG became a respected platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue, offering researchbased policy recommendations and strategic interventions that informed key decisions in the transition to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). His contributions extended beyond advocacy - he actively engaged in discussions that shaped governance frameworks and institutional reforms.

Atty Bacani’s role was particularly significant in fostering critical conversations on autonomy, governance, and the complexities of peacebuilding. His insights helped bridge gaps between policymakers, Moro leaders, and Indigenous Peoples, ensuring that the evolving Bangsamoro narrative remained inclusive and responsive to the diverse communities it sought to serve. Through his leadership, IAG stood as a committed ally to all stakeholders- government, Moro, and Indigenous leaders alike, working to ensure that legislative milestones were not just symbolic but translated into meaningful, lived realities.

Long before IAG, Atty Bacani had already made a mark in the field of legal education. As Dean of the College of Law at Notre Dame University (NDU), and as an Associate Professor of Political and Constitutional Law and Human Rights Law, he mentored generations of young minds to think critically and act ethically. He not only taught the Constitution, he invited students to imagine how it could better serve the most vulnerable.

Yet for all his policy and academic achievements, Atty Bacani remains deeply grounded in the community especially among the youth. He has supported initiatives that encourage young Moros and indigenous peoples to rediscover the power of reading, writing, and storytelling—to tell their truths and claim their rightful place in the narrative of the nation. Atty Benny, as he is fondly called by the young ones, has helped raise a generation who now sees itself not as victim of conflict, but as architect of peace.

In receiving the Fr Masterson Award, Atty Bacani walks in the footsteps of another great Mindanaoan peacemaker, the late Fr Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, OMI, who was posthumously honored with the same award last year. Of his beloved mentor, Atty Bacani shared: “I feel honored and humbled while at the same time anxious that I may not be able to keep up. I realized though that Fr Jun lived in his own time with its own distinct opportunities and challenges. Now, I have to confront mine, the challenges for peace in my time and generation. I will continue Fr Jun’s legacy - in my own way, time and place.”

Atty Bacani’s journey is far from over as he continues to work on peace, which for him is sustainable only when public policies as well as political and governance institutions promote, not destroy community cohesion, human development and dignity of every human person. Since IAG was founded in 2001, the values that underpin their strategies and programs have been consistent- democracy, human rights, inclusivity and good governance. “To youth leaders and future peace-builders, please use modern technology to combat trends that dehumanize persons and promote violence and injustice. You have in your hands a potent instrument to forge peace, unity, social cohesion and respect for the dignity of persons.”

Atty Bacani is inspired by the emergence of regional political parties in the BARMM as they are a concrete product of IAG’s work. He is proud that they have made a difference because space is now there for competition of ideas than the use of arms, goons and gold. “We still have a long way to go but the seed has been planted in public policies and the institutions that have been built during the political transition of the BARMM.”

Atty Benedicto Roldan Bacani, a bearer of peace, a builder of autonomy, and a true son of the land he serves.

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In sincere recognition of his unwavering commitment to social development, peacebuilding, and the healing and renewal of communities in Mindanao, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan is proud and deeply honored to confer the Fr William F Masterson, SJ Award upon Atty Benedicto R Bacani during its 86th Commencement Exercises.