Manuel Nuestro Dela Cruz

Manuel Nuestro Dela Cruz holds the position of Punong Barangay in Barangay Banaba Lejos, a barangay in the municipality of Indang, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. As Punong Barangay, Manuel leads the elected Sangguniang Barangay and represents the community's local government unit.

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 Banaba Lejos is one of 36 barangays in the municipality of Indang, in the province of Cavite, in the CALABARZON region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Banaba Lejos had a population of 1,680 residents — the constituency that Manuel serves as Punong Barangay. Cavite is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Elected through the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, Manuel Nuestro Dela Cruz 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, Manuel Nuestro Dela Cruz is accountable to the residents of Barangay Banaba Lejos 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.