Ma. Teresa Barquin Babante

Ma. Teresa Barquin Babante is the current Punong Barangay of Barangay Poblacion District 2 in Macarthur, Leyte, Philippines, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. The position — also commonly referred to as Barangay Captain — is the elected head of the barangay'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 Poblacion District 2 is one of 31 barangays in the municipality of Macarthur, in the province of Leyte, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Poblacion District 2 had a population of 1,083 residents — the constituency that Ma. serves as Punong Barangay. Leyte is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Elected through the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, Ma. Teresa Barquin Babante 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.

The Sangguniang Barangay — which Ma. Teresa Barquin Babante 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.