Barangay Malinao

Barangay Malinao 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 Malinao had a population of 710. This made it the 13th largest of 24 barangays in Taft by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Malinao accounted for approximately 3.78% of the total population of Taft, which stood at 18,786 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 851 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 710 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of -16.6%, consistent with a contracting settlement. Barangay Malinao 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 Malinao, 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 Malinao ranks 256th 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 Malinao 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.