Leah Gualdada Tomamak

Leah Gualdada Tomamak is the Punong Barangay currently leading Barangay Costa Rica, part of the municipality of Almagro in Samar, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. Under Philippine law, the Punong Barangay is directly elected by the residents of the barangay.

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 Costa Rica is one of 23 barangays in the municipality of Almagro, in the province of Samar, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Costa Rica had a population of 359 residents — the constituency that Leah serves as Punong Barangay. Samar is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Elected through the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, Leah Gualdada Tomamak is serving the current four-year term established under Republic Act No. 12232, which extended the barangay official's term from three years to four. The next BSKE will be held on Monday, November 2, 2026, following COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.

As an elected Philippine public official, Leah Gualdada Tomamak is accountable to the residents of Barangay Costa Rica and must comply with the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160), the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713), and other national laws. Barangay officials are required to file Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and are subject to the oversight of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Office of the Ombudsman.