Marites Bustillo Salvaña

Marites Bustillo Salvaña is the Punong Barangay currently leading Barangay Sacme, part of the municipality of Tanauan in Leyte, 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 Sacme is one of 54 barangays in the municipality of Tanauan, in the province of Leyte, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Sacme had a population of 2,068 residents — the constituency that Marites serves as Punong Barangay. Leyte is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Marites Bustillo Salvaña 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 Marites Bustillo Salvaña 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.