Rene Melendres Perante

Rene Melendres Perante is the Punong Barangay currently leading Barangay Tongantongan, part of the City of Valencia in Bukidnon, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. Under Philippine law, the Punong Barangay is directly elected by the residents of the barangay.

Under the Local Government Code of 1991, the Punong Barangay leads the Sangguniang Barangay, signs ordinances and resolutions, represents the barangay in transactions with other government units, administers the barangay budget and appropriations, and oversees the Lupong Tagapamayapa that handles amicable settlement of disputes at the barangay level. The office is the most directly accountable elected position in the Philippine government.

Barangay Tongantongan is one of 31 barangays in the City of Valencia, in the province of Bukidnon, in the Northern Mindanao region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Tongantongan had a population of 7,577 residents — the constituency that Rene serves as Punong Barangay. Bukidnon is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Elected through the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, Rene Melendres Perante 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, Rene Melendres Perante is accountable to the residents of Barangay Tongantongan 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.