Barangay Puting Cacao

Barangay Puting Cacao is a small barangay in the municipality of Pola, located in the province of Oriental Mindoro, in the MIMAROPA Region region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Puting Cacao had a population of 903. This made it the 17th largest of 23 barangays in Pola by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Puting Cacao accounted for approximately 2.55% of the total population of Pola, which stood at 35,455 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 809 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 903 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of +11.6%, consistent with a growing settlement. Barangay Puting Cacao is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Pola is a municipality comprising 23 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Puting Cacao, 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 Puting Cacao ranks 365th 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.

Like every Philippine barangay, Barangay Puting Cacao is led by an elected Punong Barangay (barangay captain) supported by seven Sangguniang Barangay members (kagawads), an SK Chairperson, a Barangay Secretary, and a Barangay Treasurer. The next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) are scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, with officials serving four-year terms under Republic Act No. 12232.