Barangay Bato

Classified as a small barangay, Barangay Bato is one of the administrative divisions of Paranas in Samar, Eastern Visayas, Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Bato had a population of 911. This made it the 14th largest of 44 barangays in Paranas by population, placing it in the upper half of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Bato accounted for approximately 2.81% of the total population of Paranas, which stood at 32,374 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Bato changed from 725 to 911, a shift of +25.7% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in Paranas. Barangay Bato is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Paranas is a municipality comprising 44 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Bato, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Samar, which contains 951 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Bato ranks 268th by 2020 population. Samar is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Bato 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.