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. An "economic minded" and "zealous" governor, his administration saw the rise of the local tobacco monopoly, the persistence of Moro raids, and the subjugation of the Ivatan natives of Batanes.
Early life and career
Basco was originally an officer of the royal Spanish Navy.
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.