Barangay Tarusan

Barangay Tarusan is a very small barangay in the municipality of Laoang, located in the province of Northern Samar, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Tarusan had a population of 374. This made it the 54th largest of 56 barangays in Laoang by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Tarusan accounted for approximately 0.62% of the total population of Laoang, which stood at 60,607 in the same census year.

Census comparisons between 2015 and 2020 show Barangay Tarusan moving from 430 residents to 374 residents, an intercensal change of -13.0%. The trajectory indicates a contracting community. Barangay Tarusan is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Laoang is a municipality comprising 56 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Tarusan, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Northern Samar, which contains 569 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Tarusan ranks 491st by 2020 population. Northern Samar is classified as a 2nd 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.