Barangay Candelaria

Barangay Candelaria is a small barangay in the municipality of Matag-Ob, located in the province of Leyte, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Candelaria had a population of 731. This made it the 9th largest of 21 barangays in Matag-Ob by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Candelaria accounted for approximately 4.17% of the total population of Matag-Ob, which stood at 17,522 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Candelaria changed from 789 to 731, a shift of -7.4% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with contracting populations in Matag-Ob. Barangay Candelaria is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Matag-Ob is a municipality comprising 21 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Candelaria, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Leyte, which contains 1,641 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Candelaria ranks 867th by 2020 population. Leyte 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.