Charita Mateo Cajusay

Charita Mateo Cajusay is the Punong Barangay currently leading Barangay Higasaan, part of the city of City of Calbayog in Samar, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. Under Philippine law, the Punong Barangay is directly elected by the residents of the barangay.

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 Higasaan is one of 157 barangays in the city of City of Calbayog, in the province of Samar, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Higasaan had a population of 178 residents — the constituency that Charita 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, Charita Mateo Cajusay 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, Charita Mateo Cajusay is accountable to the residents of Barangay Higasaan 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.