Barangay Santa Cruz

Situated in Matungao, Lanao Del Norte, Barangay Santa Cruz is one of 12 barangays that make up the municipality within Northern Mindanao.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Santa Cruz had a population of 458. This made it the 12th largest of 12 barangays in Matungao by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Cruz accounted for approximately 3.10% of the total population of Matungao, which stood at 14,756 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Santa Cruz changed from 466 to 458, a shift of -1.7% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with broadly stable populations in Matungao. Barangay Santa Cruz is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Matungao is a municipality comprising 12 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 Lanao Del Norte, which contains 506 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Cruz ranks 438th by 2020 population. Lanao Del Norte is classified as a 2nd 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.