Lemeul Paghacian Escuadro

Lemeul Paghacian Escuadro is the Punong Barangay currently leading Barangay Lapayanbaja, part of the municipality of Polanco in Zamboanga Del Norte, 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 Lapayanbaja is one of 30 barangays in the municipality of Polanco, in the province of Zamboanga Del Norte, in the Zamboanga Peninsula region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Lapayanbaja had a population of 839 residents — the constituency that Lemeul serves as Punong Barangay. Zamboanga Del Norte is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Elected through the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, Lemeul Paghacian Escuadro 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 Lemeul Paghacian Escuadro 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.