Reycel Hyacenth "Hya" Nacario Bendaña

Reycel Hyacenth Nacario Bendaña, from Polangui, Albay, Philippines, is pursuing a master’s degree in international policy, specializing in governance and development, at Stanford at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. She earned her bachelor’s degree in management economics from Ateneo de Manila University. Hya is a coalition coordinator, movement builder, and community organizer working at the intersection of public policy and grassroots action. She leads some of the largest civic coalitions in the Philippines, helping secure major policy reforms and mobilize billions in public budget allocations across transport, health, education, social protection, and labor — sectors where communities have long been excluded from governance. She also helped build local and national movements advancing river restoration, safe spaces, disaster response, and electoral reform. Move As One Coalition, one of the movements she co-founded, received the 2026 WRI Ross Prize, selected from over 330 global entries across 230 cities, for serving as a global model for grassroots-led urban transformation.