History of Isabela Part IV: During the Reign of Queen Isabella II

It was during the reign of Queen Isabella II that the Islands begin to progress by the turn of the 19th Century. The Vice Royalty of Mexico ceased administration of the archipelago upon receiving the grant of independence from Spain in 1821. From thereon, Philippines was under the direct rule of the Queen.
Spain has invested heavily on the infrastructure development in the archipelago among them was the Claveria (now Quezon) bridge which is the first suspension bridge in southeast Asia and the establishment of the Tramway conveyance system.
On August 1, 1851; the Banco Espanol-Filipino De Isabel II was established in keeping up with the economic boom in the period as Philippines was ahead of its Asian neighbors.
The institution of Education was the most prominent and important legacy in the reign of Queen Isabella II to the country; she has initiated a system of free, compulsory primary education through a decree she issued in December 20, 1863. Spanish was the medium of instruction.
With the opening of the Suez Canal in Panama on 1869, days of travel by ship to Europe was cut short. This saw the influx of natives gaining access to education abroad. This period in history gave rise to the class of the illustrados; prominent among them is our national hero- Dr. Jose Rizal.
By 1898 during the height of the Philippine Revolution, enrollment in schools at all levels exceeded 200,000 students. It was also in this period that saw the execution of Rizal that ushered the eventual departure
of Spanish colonization of over three centuries
The enforcement of the tobacco monopoly was the main reason why the capital of the alcadia (Cagayan valley) was transfered to Tuguegarao from the city of Nueva Segovia (Lallo) by the mid 1800s. Queen Isabella II sought an effective setup for the management of the industry because two of the vast tobacco plantations are in Tuguegarao and the other in San Fernando de Ilagan.

A Royal Decree was enacted in May 1,1856 forming one separate province out of the territories of Cagayan and Nueva Vizcaya to effectively address the tobacco industry.
The new territory in the the middle of the valley derived its territorial jurisdiction half from the south of Cagayan comprising Abuatan (Tumauini-Cabagan) Bolo (Ilagan) and Batanag (western Gamu). These territories were later known as “Irraya” or “upriver” following its separation.
Lower Isabela is derived from Diffun (lower Gamu), Paniqui (Cauayan), Camarag (Echague) and Carig or the modern day Santiago city north of Nueva Vizcaya.
The new territory was named in honor of Queen Isabella II.

It was not really regular province with a Governor or Alcadia-Mayor; Isabela- like its neighboring Nueva Vizcaya earlier in 1841, was established as a Politico-Militar province.
Nueva Vizcaya was integrated into the militarized zones in the neighboring highlands of the Cordillera to brace the mountain territories against attacks from the Igorots and other mountain dwellers who refused to be converted to Christianity.
Isabela on the other hand, was placed under the protectorate of the military (commandancia) to enforce the tobacco monopoly in the still unpacified province also known as corrigimento.
Then known as San Fernando de Ilagan, where the vast tobacco plantation in the territory lies; became the Provincial Capital.