Barangay San Rafael

Barangay San Rafael is a small barangay in the municipality of Zaragoza, located in the province of Nueva Ecija, in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay San Rafael had a population of 1,366. This made it the 16th largest of 19 barangays in Zaragoza by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay San Rafael accounted for approximately 2.57% of the total population of Zaragoza, which stood at 53,090 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay San Rafael changed from 1,340 to 1,366, a shift of +1.9% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with slowly expanding populations in Zaragoza. 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.

Zaragoza is a municipality comprising 19 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 Nueva Ecija, which contains 849 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay San Rafael ranks 624th 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.

Like every Philippine barangay, Barangay San Rafael is led by an elected Punong Barangay (barangay captain) supported by seven Sangguniang Barangay members (kagawads), an SK Chairperson, a Barangay Secretary, and a Barangay Treasurer. The next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) are scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, with officials serving four-year terms under Republic Act No. 12232.