Melchor Laddaran Guzman

Serving as Punong Barangay of Barangay Bangad in Santa Maria, Isabela, Melchor Laddaran Guzman 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 Bangad is one of 20 barangays in the municipality of Santa Maria, in the province of Isabela, in the Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Bangad had a population of 2,932 residents — the constituency that Melchor serves as Punong Barangay. Isabela is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Melchor Laddaran Guzman was elected to office in the most recent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), which took place on October 30, 2023. Under Republic Act No. 12232, barangay officials elected in 2023 serve four-year terms, meaning the current mandate runs until 2026. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, per COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.

The Sangguniang Barangay — which Melchor Laddaran Guzman 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.