Barangay Lapayanbaja

Barangay Lapayanbaja is a small barangay in the municipality of Polanco, located in the province of Zamboanga Del Norte, in the Zamboanga Peninsula region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Lapayanbaja had a population of 839. This made it the 23rd largest of 30 barangays in Polanco by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Lapayanbaja accounted for approximately 1.99% of the total population of Polanco, which stood at 42,265 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Lapayanbaja changed from 811 to 839, a shift of +3.5% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in Polanco. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Lapayanbaja as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Polanco is a municipality comprising 30 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Lapayanbaja, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Zamboanga Del Norte, which contains 691 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Lapayanbaja ranks 461st by 2020 population. Zamboanga Del Norte 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.