José Basco y Vargas

José Basco y Vargas, 1st Count of the Conquest of Batanes Islands (1733–1805) was a naval officer of the Spanish Navy who served as the 53rd governor-general of the Spanish Philippines under the Spanish Empire from 1778 to 1787.

Governor-General of the Philippines

Arrival After the death of Simón de Anda y Salazar in October 1776, Basco was appointed as the next governor-general by King Charles III, but not until July 1778, when he arrived at Manila. In achieving this, the industry was placed under government control during Basco's administration. One reason why the Spanish wanted to claim Batanes was to prevent the islands from falling into British hands, as ships of the English East India Company were already increasingly using the Bashi Channel. Later, on June 26, 1783, the representatives of the native people met Joseph Huelva y Melgarejo and some Dominican priests on the plains of Basco to perform the formal annexation rites.

As part of the annexation, the new province was named Provincia de la Concepcion; later, the governor-general received the title of Conde dela Conquista de Batanes; and the capital town, Basco, was named after him. In the same year, the Igorots in Nueva Vizcaya, lead by Lagutao, revolted and had to be reconquered by a force of 300 musketeers from Cagayan. The rebel leader was killed in battle.

Education Basco's administration improved the schools then and promoted the knowledge of the Castilian language.

Military During Basco's rule, the army was reorganized. He also arranged various military expeditions to occupy the Igorots.

Relationship with the Chinese In 1778, Basco revoked the order expelling the Chinese, making a considerable number of them return to Manila.

Later life Despite his many efforts, Basco was still disliked and opposed, and, in the end, he resigned as governor-general in 1787. When he first offered the resignation, it was not accepted, but the king later allowed him to hand over the government to Pedro Sarrio, who held the office of governor for only six months.

At the end of November 1787, Basco embarked for Spain. Then, for his honorable service, he was promoted in the Spanish Navy and made the governor of Cartagena.