Barangay Santa Cruz

Barangay Santa Cruz is a small barangay in the municipality of Magsaysay, located in the province of Misamis Oriental, in the Northern Mindanao region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Santa Cruz had a population of 1,958. This made it the 6th largest of 25 barangays in Magsaysay by population, placing it in the upper half of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Cruz accounted for approximately 5.32% of the total population of Magsaysay, which stood at 36,803 in the same census year.

Census comparisons between 2015 and 2020 show Barangay Santa Cruz moving from 2,059 residents to 1,958 residents, an intercensal change of -4.9%. The trajectory indicates a contracting community. Barangay Santa Cruz is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Magsaysay is a municipality comprising 25 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 Misamis Oriental, which contains 504 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Cruz ranks 161st by 2020 population. Misamis Oriental is classified as a 1st 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.