Thelma Sesbino Santamena

Thelma Sesbino Santamena is the Punong Barangay currently leading Barangay Cadluman, part of the municipality of San Joaquin in Iloilo, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. Under Philippine law, the Punong Barangay is directly elected by the residents of the barangay.

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 Cadluman is one of 85 barangays in the municipality of San Joaquin, in the province of Iloilo, in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Cadluman had a population of 194 residents — the constituency that Thelma serves as Punong Barangay. Iloilo is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Elected through the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, Thelma Sesbino Santamena 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, Thelma Sesbino Santamena is accountable to the residents of Barangay Cadluman 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.