Basco, Batanes

Basco, officially the Municipality of Basco^[a], is a municipality and capital of the province of Batanes, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.

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) constituting 22.58% of the 219.01-square kilometre total area of Batanes.

Barangays

Basco is politically subdivided into 6 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

The sitio of Diptan was converted into a barrio, known as San Antonio, in 1955.^[1] Also in the same year, the sitios of Coral, Hago, Tuva, Diojango, Canalaan, Honaan and Dimnalamay were amalgamated into the barrio of San Joaquin.^[2]

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.

Demographics

In the 2024 census, Basco had a population of 9,647 people. The population density was PD/km2.

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

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.^[4] The Basco Schools Distric Office governs the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality.^[5]

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

Media

AM

• 1134 kHz DWBT Radyo Pilipinas Batanes^[6]

FM

• 95.7 MHz DZYV Radio Yvatan
• 97.5 MHz DZNB Radyo Kayvayvanan Community Radio^[7]
• 103.7 MHz DWWF Radyo Natin Basco

TV

• DWAZ - GMA-7 Batanes (GMA Network)

Notes

1. ^ ivv: Kavahayan nu Basco; Ilocano: Ili ti Basco; Tagalog: Bayan ng Basco

References

1. ^ "Republic Act No. 1332; An Act to Convert the Sitio of Diptan in the Municipality of Basco, Province of Batanes, into a Barrio to Be Known As the Barrio of San Antonio De Padua of Said Municipality". LawPH.com. Archived May 3, 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
2. ^ "Republic Act No. 1334; An Act to Convert the Sitios of Coral, Hago, Tuva, Diojango, Canalaan, Honaan and Dimnalamay, into a Barrio to Be Known As the Barrio of San Joaquin, in the Municipality of Basco, Province of Batanes". LawPH.com. Archived May 3, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
3. ^ "BASCO - BATANES | Election Results 2025: Vote Count Updates & Tallies | Eleksyon 2025 | GMA News Online". GMA News Online. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
4. ^ "DEPED REGIONAL OFFICE NO. 02". DepED RO2 | The official website of DepED Regional Office No. 02. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
5. ^ "Masterlist of Schools". Department of Education. January 15, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
6. ^ "Radyo Pilipinas Batanes". Facebook.com. Archived August 14, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
7. ^ Admin, Web (February 3, 2020). "Radyo Kayvayvanan | DZNB-FM 97.5 MHz | Basco, Batanes". National Nutrition Council of the Philippines. Archived June 3, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

External links

• [ Philippine Standard Geographic Code]