Barangay Santa Cruz

Barangay Santa Cruz is a small barangay in the municipality of Bongabong, located in the province of Oriental Mindoro, in the MIMAROPA Region region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Santa Cruz had a population of 1,291. This made it the 28th largest of 36 barangays in Bongabong by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Cruz accounted for approximately 1.68% of the total population of Bongabong, which stood at 76,973 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 1,215 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 1,291 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of +6.3%, consistent with a growing settlement. Barangay Santa Cruz is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Bongabong is a municipality comprising 36 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Santa Cruz, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Oriental Mindoro, which contains 426 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Cruz ranks 293rd by 2020 population. Oriental Mindoro is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Santa Cruz is governed by an elected Sangguniang Barangay composed of a Punong Barangay and seven kagawads, with the Sangguniang Kabataan representing the youth. The next BSKE, set for Monday, November 2, 2026, will elect officials to four-year terms as provided under Republic Act No. 12232.