 It is not known where, or if, he completed his studies but he was employed in the "Comandancia de Marina" in Manila where he eventually rose to a position of responsibility.While working in Manila, Basa lived in a boarding house where he met one of the founders of the Katipunan, Ladislao Diwa, who was then a law student at the University of Santo Tomas.On November 9, 1892, he was initiated into the secret society under the name "Liwanag" (Brightness).