Barangay Santa Cruz

Barangay Santa Cruz is a small barangay in the municipality of Tarangnan, located in the province of Samar, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Santa Cruz had a population of 718. This made it the 14th largest of 41 barangays in Tarangnan by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Cruz accounted for approximately 2.79% of the total population of Tarangnan, which stood at 25,713 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 764 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 718 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of -6.0%, consistent with a contracting settlement. Barangay Santa Cruz is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Tarangnan is a municipality comprising 41 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 Samar, which contains 951 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Cruz ranks 358th by 2020 population. Samar 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.