Barangay San Rafael

Barangay San Rafael forms part of Taft, a municipality in Eastern Samar, and is classified as a small barangay.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay San Rafael had a population of 519. This made it the 16th largest of 24 barangays in Taft by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay San Rafael accounted for approximately 2.76% of the total population of Taft, which stood at 18,786 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay San Rafael changed from 393 to 519, a shift of +32.1% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in Taft. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay San Rafael 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 San Rafael, 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 San Rafael ranks 348th 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 San Rafael 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.