Barangay Merced

Classified as a mid-sized barangay, Barangay Merced is one of the administrative divisions of Banate in Iloilo, Western Visayas, Philippines.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Merced had a population of 2,646. This made it the 5th largest of 18 barangays in Banate by population, placing it in the upper half of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Merced accounted for approximately 7.93% of the total population of Banate, which stood at 33,376 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Merced changed from 2,596 to 2,646, a shift of +1.9% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with slowly expanding populations in Banate. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Merced as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Banate is a municipality comprising 18 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Merced, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Iloilo, which contains 1,901 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Merced ranks 128th by 2020 population. Iloilo is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

The barangay's legislative and executive affairs are handled by a Punong Barangay and the Sangguniang Barangay, elected nationwide during the Barangay and SK Elections. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, following the synchronized election schedule set by COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.