Barangay La Paz

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

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay La Paz had a population of 217. This made it the 36th largest of 38 barangays in Santa Rita by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay La Paz accounted for approximately 0.51% of the total population of Santa Rita, which stood at 42,384 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 227 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 217 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of -4.4%, consistent with a contracting settlement. Barangay La Paz is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Santa Rita is a municipality comprising 38 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay La Paz, 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 La Paz ranks 845th 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 La Paz 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.