Rustico Bacolod Castillo JR.

Rustico Bacolod Castillo JR. is the Punong Barangay currently leading Barangay Pilar, part of the municipality of San Antonio in Northern Samar, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. Under Philippine law, the Punong Barangay is directly elected by the residents of the barangay.

The Punong Barangay is the chief executive of the barangay, the smallest and most local unit of government in the Philippines. Duties under Section 389 of RA 7160 include enforcing barangay ordinances, organising and leading an emergency response team, calling and presiding over sessions of the Sangguniang Barangay, maintaining public order through the Lupong Tagapamayapa (peace council), and supervising the delivery of basic services to residents.

Barangay Pilar is one of 10 barangays in the municipality of San Antonio, in the province of Northern Samar, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Pilar had a population of 690 residents — the constituency that Rustico serves as Punong Barangay. Northern Samar is classified as a 2nd by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Barangay officials in the Philippines are elected during the synchronised Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Rustico 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.

The Sangguniang Barangay — which Rustico Bacolod Castillo JR. 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.