Jan-jan Ninalga Cortez

Serving as Punong Barangay of Barangay San Jose Sur in Agoo, La Union, Jan-jan Ninalga Cortez is currently in the 2023 - 2026 term. The Punong Barangay is the most senior elected official of a Philippine barangay and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of local services.

The Punong Barangay is the chief executive of the barangay, the smallest and most local unit of government in the Philippines. Duties under Section 389 of RA 7160 include enforcing barangay ordinances, organising and leading an emergency response team, calling and presiding over sessions of the Sangguniang Barangay, maintaining public order through the Lupong Tagapamayapa (peace council), and supervising the delivery of basic services to residents.

Barangay San Jose Sur is one of 49 barangays in the municipality of Agoo, in the province of La Union, in the Ilocos Region region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay San Jose Sur had a population of 1,818 residents — the constituency that Jan-jan serves as Punong Barangay. La Union is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Barangay officials in the Philippines are elected during the synchronised Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Jan-jan currently holds office under the mandate established by the October 30, 2023 BSKE. The next BSKE, at which this position will again be contested, is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026.

The Sangguniang Barangay — which Jan-jan Ninalga Cortez leads — is the legislative body of a Philippine barangay. It passes barangay ordinances and resolutions, approves the annual barangay budget, and exercises oversight over the barangay's programmes and projects. Its composition includes the Punong Barangay, seven kagawads, the SK Chairperson, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, all accountable directly to residents.