Barangay Batiawan

Barangay Batiawan is a small barangay in the municipality of Taft, located in the province of Eastern Samar, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Batiawan had a population of 1,135. This made it the 6th largest of 24 barangays in Taft by population, placing it in the upper half of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Batiawan accounted for approximately 6.04% of the total population of Taft, which stood at 18,786 in the same census year.

Census comparisons between 2015 and 2020 show Barangay Batiawan moving from 1,042 residents to 1,135 residents, an intercensal change of +8.9%. The trajectory indicates a growing community. Barangay Batiawan is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Taft is a municipality comprising 24 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Batiawan, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Eastern Samar, which contains 597 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Batiawan ranks 122nd by 2020 population. Eastern Samar is classified as a 2nd by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Batiawan 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.