Barangay Labatan

Classified as a small barangay, Barangay Labatan is one of the administrative divisions of Payao in Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Labatan had a population of 1,641. This made it the 7th largest of 29 barangays in Payao by population, placing it in the upper half of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Labatan accounted for approximately 4.70% of the total population of Payao, which stood at 34,952 in the same census year.

Census comparisons between 2015 and 2020 show Barangay Labatan moving from 1,699 residents to 1,641 residents, an intercensal change of -3.4%. The trajectory indicates a contracting community. Barangay Labatan is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Payao is a municipality comprising 29 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Labatan, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Zamboanga Sibugay, which contains 389 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Labatan ranks 141st by 2020 population. Zamboanga Sibugay 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.