Ariel Alipat Manlapaz

Ariel Alipat Manlapaz holds the position of Punong Barangay in Barangay Tarug, a barangay in the municipality of Alimodian, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. As Punong Barangay, Ariel leads the elected Sangguniang Barangay and represents the community's local government unit.

As the head of the smallest tier of Philippine local government, the Punong Barangay is responsible for everything from maintaining peace and order within the barangay to supervising the Barangay Development Plan, enforcing national and local laws within the barangay boundaries, and representing residents in the wider city or municipal government. The position is held for a four-year term under Republic Act No. 12232.

Barangay Tarug is one of 51 barangays in the municipality of Alimodian, in the province of Iloilo, in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Tarug had a population of 776 residents — the constituency that Ariel serves as Punong Barangay. Iloilo is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Ariel Alipat Manlapaz was elected to office in the most recent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), which took place on October 30, 2023. Under Republic Act No. 12232, barangay officials elected in 2023 serve four-year terms, meaning the current mandate runs until 2026. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, per COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.

The Sangguniang Barangay — which Ariel Alipat Manlapaz 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.