Barangay Payao

Classified as a small barangay, Barangay Payao is one of the administrative divisions of Villaba in Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Payao had a population of 1,057. This made it the 18th largest of 35 barangays in Villaba by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Payao accounted for approximately 2.47% of the total population of Villaba, which stood at 42,859 in the same census year.

The barangay recorded 1,063 residents in the 2015 intercensal count and 1,057 residents in the 2020 Census — a net change of -0.6%, consistent with a broadly stable settlement. Barangay Payao is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Villaba is a municipality comprising 35 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Payao, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Leyte, which contains 1,641 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Payao ranks 583rd by 2020 population. Leyte is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

The barangay's legislative and executive affairs are handled by a Punong Barangay and the Sangguniang Barangay, elected nationwide during the Barangay and SK Elections. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, following the synchronized election schedule set by COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.