Barangay Payahan

Classified as a small barangay, Barangay Payahan is one of the administrative divisions of Malinao in Albay, Bicol Region, Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Payahan had a population of 1,399. This made it the 16th largest of 29 barangays in Malinao by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Payahan accounted for approximately 2.95% of the total population of Malinao, which stood at 47,395 in the same census year.

Census comparisons between 2015 and 2020 show Barangay Payahan moving from 1,414 residents to 1,399 residents, an intercensal change of -1.1%. The trajectory indicates a broadly stable community. Barangay Payahan is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Malinao is a municipality comprising 29 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Payahan, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Albay, which contains 720 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Payahan ranks 377th by 2020 population. Albay is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Payahan is governed by an elected Sangguniang Barangay composed of a Punong Barangay and seven kagawads, with the Sangguniang Kabataan representing the youth. The next BSKE, set for Monday, November 2, 2026, will elect officials to four-year terms as provided under Republic Act No. 12232.