He was first ordained a priest of
Society of the Divine Word (SVD) on November 28, 1970, in
Rizal Park. Pope John Paul II appointed him
Bishop of Romblon on July 3, 1997. His
episcopal ordination was on August 21, 1997, in
Cebu City. The pope nominated him
Coadjutor Bishop in the
Diocese of Sorsogon on July 25, 2002. On April 17, 2003 (
Holy Thursday), he succeeded as Bishop of Sorsogon. He also served as chairman and president of the
Philippine Bible Society in 2008. In 2016, Bishop Bastes initiated the launch of a campaign in a bid to allot 20% of government resources to an anti-poverty fund or Serendipity fund, according to the
CBCP. ==Later life and death==