Barangay Panabatan

Barangay Panabatan is a very small barangay in the municipality of Santa Margarita, located in the province of Samar, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Panabatan had a population of 302. This made it the 15th largest of 36 barangays in Santa Margarita by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Panabatan accounted for approximately 1.13% of the total population of Santa Margarita, which stood at 26,816 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Panabatan changed from 314 to 302, a shift of -3.8% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with contracting populations in Santa Margarita. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Panabatan as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Santa Margarita is a municipality comprising 36 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Panabatan, 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 Panabatan ranks 730th 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.

Like every Philippine barangay, Barangay Panabatan is led by an elected Punong Barangay (barangay captain) supported by seven Sangguniang Barangay members (kagawads), an SK Chairperson, a Barangay Secretary, and a Barangay Treasurer. The next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) are scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, with officials serving four-year terms under Republic Act No. 12232.