Barangay Matugas Bajo

Barangay Matugas Bajo is a small barangay in the municipality of Jimenez, located in the province of Misamis Occidental, in the Northern Mindanao region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Matugas Bajo had a population of 675. This made it the 16th largest of 24 barangays in Jimenez by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Matugas Bajo accounted for approximately 2.33% of the total population of Jimenez, which stood at 28,909 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Matugas Bajo changed from 730 to 675, a shift of -7.5% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with contracting populations in Jimenez. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Matugas Bajo as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Jimenez is a municipality comprising 24 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Matugas Bajo, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Misamis Occidental, which contains 490 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Matugas Bajo ranks 316th by 2020 population. Misamis Occidental is classified as a 2nd by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

The barangay's legislative and executive affairs are handled by a Punong Barangay and the Sangguniang Barangay, elected nationwide during the Barangay and SK Elections. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, following the synchronized election schedule set by COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.