Basco, Batanes
Capital of Batanes, Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basco, officially the Municipality of Basco[a], is a municipality and capital of the province of Batanes, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 9,647 people.[6]
Basco | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Basco | |
     From the top, left to right: Vayang Rolling Hills, Mount Iraya, Basco Cathedral, Basco Lighthouse, Valugan Beach, and Basco Airport | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Map of Batanes with Basco highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Basco | |
| Coordinates: 20°27′N 121°58′E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Cagayan Valley |
| Province | Batanes |
| District | Lone district |
| Named after | José Basco y Vargas |
| Barangays | 6 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | German A. Caccam |
| • Vice Mayor | Will Lee H. Gabotero |
| • Representative | Ciriaco Gato Jr. |
| • Municipal Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 6,170 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 49.46 km2 (19.10 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 23.4 m (77 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,013 m (3,323 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[4] | |
• Total | 9,647 |
| • Density | 195.0/km2 (505.2/sq mi) |
| • Households | 2,823 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 5th municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 4.36 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 113.5 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 277.9 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 89.55 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 56.83 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Batanes Electric Cooperative (BATANELCO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 3900 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)78 |
| Native languages | Ivatan Tagalog Ilocano |
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The town is the most populous town in Batanes and is located on Batan Island, the second largest among the Batanes Islands, the northernmost group of islands of the Philippines. The town has an airport, Basco Airport, that serves domestic flights from Manila, Tuguegarao, and Itbayat. Despite its proximity to East Asian cities, there are no international flights.
The Basco Lighthouse is one of the landmarks. There is also the Basco Cathedral here.
Etymology
The town is named after Capitán General José Basco, who led the pacification and conquest of the islands during his term as governor-general.
Geography
The municipality has a land area of 49.46 square kilometres (19.10 sq mi) [7] constituting 22.58% of the 219.01-square-kilometre- (84.56 sq mi) total area of Batanes.
Barangays
Basco is politically subdivided into 6 barangays.[8] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
| PSGC | Barangay | Population | ±% p.a. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024[9] | 2010[10] | |||||
| 020901005 | Chanarian | 4.5% | 430 | 360 | 1.28% | |
| 020901001 | Ihubok II (Kayvaluganan) | 18.4% | 1,779 | 2,344 | −1.95% | |
| 020901002 | Ihubok I (Kaychanarianan) | 28.3% | 2,728 | 1,822 | 2.93% | |
| 020901006 | Kayhuvokan | 19.9% | 1,917 | 1,700 | 0.86% | |
| 020901003 | San Antonio | 23.5% | 2,264 | 1,969 | 1.00% | |
| 020901004 | San Joaquin | 5.5% | 529 | 384 | 2.32% | |
| Total | 9,647 | 7,907 | 1.43% | |||
The sitio of Diptan was converted into a barrio, known as San Antonio, in 1955.[11] Also in the same year, the sitios of Coral, Hago, Tuva, Diojango, Canalaan, Honaan and Dimnalamay were amalgamated into the barrio of San Joaquin.[12]
Climate
Basco has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). Compared to cities such as Laoag or Manila, it has a slightly cooler temperatures especially during the winter months due to its northerly location. Unlike these two cities whose hottest months are April and May, Basco has its warmest temperature during the months of June and July, similar to Taiwan.
| Climate data for Basco, Philippines (2001–2020, extremes 1903–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 31.8 (89.2) |
32.6 (90.7) |
34.8 (94.6) |
35.5 (95.9) |
36.4 (97.5) |
36.5 (97.7) |
37.6 (99.7) |
37.2 (99.0) |
36.1 (97.0) |
35.9 (96.6) |
32.9 (91.2) |
32.8 (91.0) |
37.6 (99.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.1 (75.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
28.1 (82.6) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.5 (85.1) |
28.3 (82.9) |
26.9 (80.4) |
24.7 (76.5) |
27.7 (81.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
21.9 (71.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.7 (80.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
24.9 (76.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.5 (65.3) |
19.1 (66.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
23.8 (74.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.8 (74.8) |
22.6 (72.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.0 (66.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.0 (59.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.0 (57.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 146.0 (5.75) |
91.1 (3.59) |
55.1 (2.17) |
56.4 (2.22) |
215.0 (8.46) |
183.4 (7.22) |
230.5 (9.07) |
321.1 (12.64) |
343.3 (13.52) |
260.7 (10.26) |
268.6 (10.57) |
158.0 (6.22) |
2,329.2 (91.70) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 15 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 150 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 80 | 82 | 82 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 83 | 84 | 82 | 84 |
| Source: PAGASA[13][14] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
Population census of Basco | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[15][16][10][17][18][9][19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the 2024 census, Basco had a population of 9,647 people.[20] The population density was 200 inhabitants per square kilometre (520/sq mi).
Economy
Government
Local government
Basco is part of the lone congressional district of the province of Batanes. It is governed by a mayor, designated as its local chief executive, and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.
Elected officials
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Congressman | Ciriaco Gato Jr. |
| Mayor | Milo Caccam |
| Vice-Mayor | Cholo Gabotero |
| Councilors | Ankie Redondo |
| Jacklord N. Labrador | |
| Carla A. Cordel | |
| Paking Castillo | |
| Eulalia Gordon | |
| Teresita Vinalay | |
| John Paul Castillo | |
| Aren Joseph C. Veracruz | |
Transportation
Basco is accessible by air from Manila via Basco Airport. It is served by PAL Express at present. The other airlines previously operating at Basco Airport have stopped their operations after the COVID 19 pandemic, except for SkyPasada via Tuguegarao Airport in Cagayan. These airlines are the only two airlines available for air travel as of 2024. Planes from Basco Airport are bound to only three places: (1) to Manila, served by PAL Express; (2) to Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, served by SkyPasada; and (3) to Itbayat Island, an island municipality of Batanes Province.
Telecommunication
Mobile and internet services are primarily provided by telecom companies such as Smart Communications and Globe Telecom.
Education
The Schools Division of Batanes governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region.[30] The Basco Schools Distric Office governs the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality.[31]
Primary and elementary schools
- Basco Central School
- Chanarian Elementary School
- Diptan Elementary School
- Tukon Elementary School
Secondary schools
- Batanes National Science High School
- Batanes General Comprehensive High School
- Valugan Integrated School
Higher educational institutions
- Batanes State College
- Saint Dominic College of Batanes
