Barangay Arakan

Situated in Matalam, Cotabato, Barangay Arakan is one of 34 barangays that make up the municipality within SOCCSKSARGEN.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Arakan had a population of 1,191. This made it the 28th largest of 34 barangays in Matalam by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Arakan accounted for approximately 1.46% of the total population of Matalam, which stood at 81,355 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 1,349 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 1,191 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of -11.7%, consistent with a contracting settlement. Barangay Arakan is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Matalam is a municipality comprising 34 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Arakan, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Cotabato, which contains 543 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Arakan ranks 383rd by 2020 population. Cotabato is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Arakan 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.