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José Basco y Vargas, 1st Count of the Conquest of Batanes Islands 

(Spanish: José Basco y
Vargas, primer conde de la conquista de las islas Batanes (1733–1805) was a naval officer of
the Spanish navy who served as the 53rd governor of the Spanish Philippines under the Spanish
Empire, from 1778 to 1787. An "economic minded" governor-general in Spanish-ruled Philippines,
his rule tried to subjugate the Ivatan natives of Batanes, which led to the murder of Ivatan indigenous
hero Aman Dangat.[1]
Text :D ==Governor General of the Philippines== He established the Sociedad Económica de los
Amigos del País, or the Economic Society of Friends of the Country, which revived
the tobacco industry in the Spanish Philippines. He established the basis for the massive growth of
Philippine agricultural export, with a policy of tolerance toward (theoretically) illegal activity of foreign
retailers, mainly the English and North Americans, who went to Manila to complete their product
shipments. He also made the colony independent by freeing it from the control of New Spain and
other Pacific Islands including the Philippines. Hoping to free the Philippines from Mexican and
Chinese trade, Basco established reforms including incentivizing the production of cotton, spices,
sugarcane, and mining, as well as rewarding scientific reforms.[2]
In 1782, Basco sent an expedition to conduct the formalities of acquiring the Ivatans consent to
become subjects of the king of Spain. The Ivatans, with their elders and leaders such as the
heroic Aman Dangat, revolted against Spanish rule.[3] Regardless, onn June 26, 1783, Joseph
Huelva y Melgarjo was declared by the Spanish government as first governor of Batanes. The new
province was named Provincia de la Concepcion and Governor General Basco was named “Conde
de la Conquista de Batanes” and the capital town, Basco, was named after him. By January 21,
1789, King Carlos III granted in prize to his numerous services the title of Count of Conquista of the
Batanes Islands; grace to which he added to the appointments of Squad leader and Governor of
Cartagena. Basco was replaced by Pedro de Sarrio on November 22, 1787.

References[edit]
1. ^ Churchill, Bernardita Reyes; Quiason, Serafin D.; Tan, Samuel K. (1998). The Philippine
Revolution and Beyond: Papers from the International Conference on the Centennial of the 1896
Philippine Revolution. Philippine Centennial Commission, National Commission for Culture and the
Arts. p.  586. ISBN 9789719201823. Retrieved 30 September  2019.
2. ^ http://www.philippine-history.org/galleon-trade.htm
3. ^ Churchill, Bernardita Reyes; Quiason, Serafin D.; Tan, Samuel K. (1998). The Philippine
Revolution and Beyond: Papers from the International Conference on the Centennial of the 1896
Philippine Revolution. Philippine Centennial Commission, National Commission for Culture and the
Arts. p.  586. ISBN 9789719201823. Retrieved 30 September  2019.

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