Barangay Panaruan

Barangay Panaruan forms part of Santa Margarita, a municipality in Samar, and is classified as a very small barangay.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Panaruan had a population of 118. This made it the 31st largest of 36 barangays in Santa Margarita by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Panaruan accounted for approximately 0.44% of the total population of Santa Margarita, which stood at 26,816 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 156 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 118 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of -24.4%, consistent with a contracting settlement. Barangay Panaruan is officially classified 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 Panaruan, 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 Panaruan ranks 933rd 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 Panaruan 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.