Dalton Pass view looking north (left) and south (right)
The summit of the mountain pass is at around 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation,[1]: 517 located where the Caraballo Sur (mountain range) and the Sierra Madre (mountain range) meet. The headwaters of the Digdig River originate just south of the pass.[1]: 517 Balete Ridge starts two miles (3.2 km) to the west-northwest of the pass, with a high point at Mt. Imugan (5,580 feet (1,700 m)), and extends nine miles (14 km) to the east-southeast, where it ends at Mt. Kabuto (4,600 feet (1,400 m)).[1]: 517–518
The idea for establishing a road along the pass originated with Father Juan Villaverde, a Spanish Dominican missionary priest who worked in Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao during the late 19th century. In a letter in 1889, he proposed building a road through Mount Minuli in order to bypass the old route into Cagayan Valley that was too steep and passed through the highest peaks of the Caraballo mountains located east of his proposed route. He based his proposal on his observations that the five percent inclination of Mount Minuli's slope was suitable not only for carts but also for railways. However, his original plan bypassed what is now the highest point in the pass, which he deemed too steep. Construction of the road began during the American period and was completed in 1928.[2]
Japanese General Yoshiharu Iwanaka's 2nd Tank Division fought a retreating battle from San Jose to Dupax, before confronting the American 32nd Division, under the command of Maj. Gen. William H. Gill, at Salacsac Pass in early March 1945.[3]: 70–72 That left the Japanese 10th Division, under the command of Lt. Gen. Yasuyuki Okamoto, to confront the American 25th Division, under the command of Maj. Gen. Charles L. Mullins, at Balete Pass.[3]: 83, 98
According to Ogawa, "When Balete was about to be captured, those unable to move were left to die after much pain and agony. Some of the more fortunate were given potassium cyanide or hand grenades to dispose of themselves quickly."[3]: 98 The Americans took the Balete area on 31 May 1945.[3]: 102
Map of the proposed Dalton Pass East Alignment Road
The Japanese lost 7,750 at Balete Pass, and 5,410 at Salacsac Pass.[3]: Map 2 The Battle of Balete Pass incurred the death of 685, and the wounding of 2,090, American soldiers from the 25th Division between February 21 and May 31, 1945.[1]: 539 The Battle of Villa Verde Trail, or the Battle of Salacsac Pass, cost the American 32nd Division, 825 killed, and 2,160 wounded.[1]: 539 The casualties among Filipino Commonwealth regulars, Constabulary and guerrillas were 285 killed and 1,134 wounded in battle. The Japanese 10th Division and 2nd Tank Division were finished as effective combat units.[1]: 510, 535 Eight Chinese militiamen were also killed fighting for the Allied side.[4][5]
The pass is named for Brigadier General James Dalton II, who was killed by a sniper during the battle.
In recognition of the event, Dalton Pass was declared a national shrine known as the Balete Pass National Shrine by President Benigno Aquino III in 2016.[6]
1990 earthquake
During the 1990 Luzon earthquake, the pass, which ran along the Digdig Fault that was the source of the rupture,[7] was closed due to 25 major landslides. The earthquake displaced two million cubic meters of debris[8] and loosed the area's soil, resulting in more landslides and road closures during heavy rains.[9]
The pass is known for its hairpin curves and steep gradient, which makes it difficult for motorists to traverse and contributes to road accidents. In 2017 alone, 541 accidents were recorded in the pass, with 21 of them resulting in fatalities.[12] That same year, a bus plunged off the road along Barangay Capintalan in Carranglan on April 18, killing 34 people.[5][13]
Balete Pass Tourism Complex
COWHN memorial (left) and Japanese memorials (right)
The Balete Pass Tourism Complex is in the summit area of the pass. The National Shrine of the Battle of Balete Pass and other monuments and memorials erected by the Chinese and the Japanese honor the war losses.[5] The shrine is at the highest point at the "Dalton Pass Viewpoint with Shed" provincial project, which offers long vistas of the mountains and forests.
Flora
The Dalton Pass area is home to the only critically endangered orchid of Nueva Ecija, Ceratocentron fesselii, which is endemic to the province.[14] It has orange flowers with purple lips and that glows lightly at dark. It is threatened by illegal logging, and illegal collecting for the orchid trade in the international black market.
The national government has yet to dedicate the natural Dalton Pass habitat as a nature reserve to protect the endemic orchid, leaving extinction of the orchid in the wild a threat.
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dalton Pass.
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