Leonisa Guerrero Petajen

As Punong Barangay of Barangay Santa Elena (Pob.), Leonisa Guerrero Petajen presides over the Sangguniang Barangay of the barangay in Virac, Catanduanes, serving the 2023 - 2026 term. The Punong Barangay is a nationally recognised local government position under the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160).

As the head of the smallest tier of Philippine local government, the Punong Barangay is responsible for everything from maintaining peace and order within the barangay to supervising the Barangay Development Plan, enforcing national and local laws within the barangay boundaries, and representing residents in the wider city or municipal government. The position is held for a four-year term under Republic Act No. 12232.

Barangay Santa Elena (Pob.) is one of 63 barangays in the municipality of Virac, in the province of Catanduanes, in the Bicol Region region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Barangay Santa Elena (Pob.) had a population of 713 residents — the constituency that Leonisa serves as Punong Barangay. Catanduanes is classified as a 3rd by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Leonisa Guerrero Petajen 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.

A Philippine barangay's Sangguniang Barangay is composed of one Punong Barangay, seven Sangguniang Barangay Members (kagawads), a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Chairperson representing the youth sector, a Barangay Secretary, and a Barangay Treasurer. Together, these officials administer the smallest unit of Philippine local government and deliver frontline services — from barangay clearance issuance to peace and order, from public health assistance to the barangay's share of the Internal Revenue Allotment.