Robert Estela Opinaldo

Robert Estela Opinaldo holds the position of Punong Barangay in Barangay Pa-o, a barangay in the municipality of Balaoan, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. As Punong Barangay, Robert 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 Pa-o is one of 36 barangays in the municipality of Balaoan, in the province of La Union, in the Ilocos Region region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Pa-o had a population of 559 residents — the constituency that Robert serves as Punong Barangay. La Union is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Robert Estela Opinaldo 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 Robert Estela Opinaldo 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.