Background
Jose Basa y Enriquez was born on August 16, 1843, in Cavite, Philippines. He was the son of Francisco Basa and Felipa Enriquez.
151 Muralla St, Intramuros, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila, Philippines
Colegio de San Juan de Letran where Jose Basa y Enriquez studied.
España Blvd, Sampaloc, Manila, 1008 Metro Manila, Philippines
The University of Santo Tomas where Jose Basa y Enriquez received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree and a Licentiate of Jurisprudence degree.
151 Muralla St, Intramuros, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila, Philippines
Colegio de San Juan de Letran where Jose Basa y Enriquez studied.
España Blvd, Sampaloc, Manila, 1008 Metro Manila, Philippines
The University of Santo Tomas where Jose Basa y Enriquez received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree and a Licentiate of Jurisprudence degree.
Jose Basa y Enriquez was born on August 16, 1843, in Cavite, Philippines. He was the son of Francisco Basa and Felipa Enriquez.
After receiving his primary education, Jose Basa y Enriquez received secondary education at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He then enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas where he received his Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1866. Then he pursued the study of law at the same university and was graduated with a Licentiate of Jurisprudence degree in 1870.
Jose Basa y Enriquez had just hardly established his law practice in his province when the Cavite Revolt of 1872 occurred. Like the other educated and liberal Filipinos of his time, he had the misfortune of being implicated, and for that reason sentenced to banishment for eight years to the Marianas. By the royal order of November 23, 1874, he and other deportees were pardoned provided they did not reside in their native land. Basa chose Hong Kong as his place of temporary abode. In February 1876, the Spanish government allowed the exiles to return to the archipelago, and Basa went back to Cavite where he resumed the practice of law.
He built up the appreciable clientele in time and became popular. The government took cognizance of his ability, and so he was appointed public prosecutor of the province, and later in 1886, he was named judge of the court of the first instance of Cavite, an office to which very few Filipinos were appointed during the Spanish regime. Later he opened a school of secondary education which offered the first two years of instruction. He had from sixty to seventy students at a time and employed one assistant. Among his students to make a name for themselves later were Emilio Aguinaldo, Joaquin Luciano, Daniel Tirona, Jose Salamanca, Baldomero Aguinaldo, and Leonardo Osorio.
Basa again got involved in the summary investigation conducted by the Spanish authorities against Jose Rizal in 1892. And on that account, he was required to change his residence. He was exiled to Davao, embarking on the same boat which brought Rizal to Dapitan. His participation in the Revolution of 1896 is not known. In the Malolos Congress, Hugo Ilagan and Basa represented Cavite province in that body. On September 26, 1898, he was appointed director of justice.
Basa was among those who accepted an early appointment in the government established in the Philippines by the United States. During the military regime, he was named judge of the court of the first instance in June 1899 with assignment in Intramuros, Manila, a position he held until July 1901. He interested himself in the cause of peace, and so became an active member of the Federalist Party which was organized in December 1900. He was allowed to practice law after taking the oath of allegiance on June 28, 1901. He was designated member of the Board of Bar Examiners in September 1902 to take the place of Pedro Concepcion who resigned.
Jose Basa y Enriquez was an adept chess player and an enthusiast of cockfighting on which games he wrote two treaties: Instrucción Sobre Ahedres and Reglamento de Galleras Explicado y Comentado, con Formulario, Casos Practicos, Definiciones Tecnicas e Indice Alfabético (1894). Only the second work was published, however. He also wrote Concejos a los Niños Grandes, a work on citizenship published in 1910. His La Revolución de 1872 remained unpublished.
Jose Basa y Enriquez was married twice. His first marriage to Mamerta Alberto produced seven children, Felisa, Asuncion, Catalina, Ramon, Justo, Engracia, and Paz. After the death of his first wife, he married Asuncion San Agustin by whom he had four children, Socorro, Natividad, Rosario, and Beatriz.
