Barangay Punong

Barangay Punong forms part of Santa Cruz, a municipality in Marinduque, and is classified as a small barangay.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Punong had a population of 561. This made it the 42nd largest of 55 barangays in Santa Cruz by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Punong accounted for approximately 1.03% of the total population of Santa Cruz, which stood at 54,692 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Punong changed from 643 to 561, a shift of -12.8% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with contracting populations in Santa Cruz. Barangay Punong is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Santa Cruz is a municipality comprising 55 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Punong, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Marinduque, which contains 218 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Punong ranks 163rd by 2020 population. Marinduque is classified as a 4th 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.