Commissioner Benjie was past president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Iloilo Chapter (1993-1995) and was elected as a member of the City Council of Iloilo for 3 consecutive terms (1995-2004), where he served as the Chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Good Government. A 1987 law graduate (cum laude) of the University of Iloilo, he has been an active legal practitioner in the City and Province of Iloilo for the past 24 years.