Barangay Bakal I

Situated in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, Barangay Bakal I is one of 53 barangays that make up the municipality within Central Luzon.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Bakal I had a population of 2,671. This made it the 17th largest of 53 barangays in Talavera by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Bakal I accounted for approximately 2.02% of the total population of Talavera, which stood at 132,338 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Bakal I changed from 2,612 to 2,671, a shift of +2.3% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in Talavera. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Bakal I as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Talavera is a municipality comprising 53 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Bakal I, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Nueva Ecija, which contains 849 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Bakal I ranks 296th by 2020 population. Nueva Ecija is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Bakal I 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.