Ernesto Credo Dalugdugan

Serving as Punong Barangay of Barangay Carnaga in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, Ernesto Credo Dalugdugan is currently in the 2023 - 2026 term. The Punong Barangay is the most senior elected official of a Philippine barangay and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of local services.

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 Carnaga is one of 30 barangays in the municipality of Saint Bernard, in the province of Southern Leyte, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Carnaga had a population of 923 residents — the constituency that Ernesto serves as Punong Barangay. Southern Leyte is classified as a 3rd by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Barangay officials in the Philippines are elected during the synchronised Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Ernesto currently holds office under the mandate established by the October 30, 2023 BSKE. The next BSKE, at which this position will again be contested, is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026.

As an elected Philippine public official, Ernesto Credo Dalugdugan is accountable to the residents of Barangay Carnaga 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.