Dalton Pass, also called Balete Pass, is a zigzag road and mountain pass that joins the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya, in central Luzon island of the Philippines. It is part of Cagayan Valley Road segment of Pan-Philippine Highway (Maharlika Highway).
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
Dalton Pass is a gateway to the Cagayan Valley, and the Ifugao Rice Terraces.
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 and was located east of the present 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 proposal 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]
The Japanese strategy during the Battle of Luzon was to fight a delaying retreat from Baguio to Bayombong, and then to a final defensive position in Kiangan, Ifugao. [3] : Map 2, 88, 99 The pass was the only access between Central Luzon and the Cagayan Valley, and was the scene of much bloody fighting in the Battle of Luzon, during the final stages of World War II.
Balete Pass lies along Highway 5 from San Jose, Nueva Ecija and Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya and became a defensive position for General Tomoyuki Yamashita's forces. A similar defensive battle was fought at Salacsac Pass, along the Villa Verde Trail joining San Nicolas, Pangasinan and Santa Fe. [3] : Map 2 and 4
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
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 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]
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]
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo announced on March 26, 2024 that the Department of Public Works and Highways obtained a JPY100 (P37 billion) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the 23-kilometer four-lane Dalton Pass East Alignment Road Project. The alternative route will interconnect Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and the Cagayan Valley Region. The bypass road includes the construction of 6.1 kilometers of twin tunnels, 10 bridges of 5.8 kilometers, and flood control. [10] [11] Construction is expected to run from 2026 to 2031. [12]
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]
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.
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.
The Cagayan River, also known as the Río Grande de Cagayán, is the longest river and the largest river by discharge volume of water in the Philippines. It has a total length of approximately 505 kilometres (314 mi) and a drainage basin covering 27,753 square kilometres (10,715 sq mi). It is located in the Cagayan Valley region in northeastern part of Luzon Island and traverses the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Isabela and Cagayan.
Cagayan Valley, designated as Region II, is an administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Philippine provinces: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino. The region hosts four chartered cities: Cauayan, Ilagan, Santiago, and Tuguegarao.
Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Bayombong. It is bordered by Benguet to the west, Ifugao to the north, Isabela to the northeast, Quirino to the east, Aurora to the southeast, Nueva Ecija to the south, and Pangasinan to the southwest. Quirino province was created from Nueva Vizcaya in 1966.
Quirino, officially the Province of Quirino, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Cabarroguis. It is named after Elpidio Quirino, the sixth President of the Philippines.
The Cordillera Administrative Region, also known as the Cordillera Region and Cordillera, is an administrative region in the Philippines, situated within the island of Luzon. It is the only landlocked region in the insular country, bordered by the Ilocos Region to the west and southwest, and by the Cagayan Valley Region to the north, east, and southeast. It is the least populous region in the Philippines, with a population less than that of the city of Manila.
The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera in northern Luzon, Philippines, often referred to by the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples, are an ethnic group composed of nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains are in the Cordillera Mountain Range, altogether numbering about 1.8 million people in the early 21st century.
Bagabag, officially the Municipality of Bagabag, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 37,985 people.
Santiago, officially the City of Santiago, is a 1st class independent component city in the Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 148,580 people.
Alfonso Castañeda, officially the Municipality of Alfonso Castañeda, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,539 people.
Ambaguio, officially the Municipality of Ambaguio, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 15,472 people.
Bayombong, officially the Municipality of Bayombong, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 67,714 people.
Diadi, officially the Municipality of Diadi, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 19,236 people.
Santa Fe, officially the Municipality of Santa Fe, is a 3rd class, landlocked municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,276 people.
Maria Aurora, officially the Municipality of Maria Aurora, is the only landlocked and 2nd class municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,958 people.
The 1990 Luzon earthquake occurred on July 16 at 4:26 p.m. (PDT) or 3:26 p.m. (PST) on the densely populated island of Luzon in the Philippines. The shock had a surface wave magnitude of 7.8 and produced a 125 km-long ground rupture that stretched from Dingalan, Aurora to Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. The event was a result of strike-slip movements along the Philippine Fault and the Digdig Fault within the Philippine Fault System. The earthquake's epicenter was near the town of Rizal, Nueva Ecija, northeast of Cabanatuan. An estimated 1,621 people were killed, most of the fatalities located in Central Luzon and the Cordillera region.
The Caraballo Mountains is a mountain range in the central part of Luzon island in the Philippines, situated between the Cordillera Central and Sierra Madre mountain ranges. The mountains serve as the location of the river source of the Cagayan River, the longest in the country.
The Gaddang language is spoken by up to 30,000 speakers in the Philippines, particularly along the Magat and upper Cagayan rivers in the Region II provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela and by overseas migrants to countries in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, in the Middle East, United Kingdom and the United States. Most Gaddang speakers also speak Ilocano, the lingua franca of Northern Luzon, as well as Tagalog and English. Gaddang is associated with the "Christianized Gaddang" people, and is closely related to the highland tongues of Ga'dang with 6,000 speakers, Yogad, Cagayan Agta with less than 1,000 and Atta with 2,000, and more distantly to Ibanag, Itawis, Isneg and Malaweg.
The Gaddang are a linguistically identified ethnic group resident in the watershed of the Cagayan River in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Gaddang speakers were recently reported to number as many as 30,000, a number that may not include another 6,000 related Ga'dang speakers or other small linguistic-groups whose vocabularies are more than 75% identical.
The Pantabangan–Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve is a conservation area located in the upper reaches of the Pampanga River in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, and borders the Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountains in Aurora and Nueva Vizcaya. It encompasses 84,500 hectares of the drainage basin surrounding the Pantabangan Lake, an impoundment of the Pampanga River by the Pantabangan Dam. The multi-purpose dam is situated at the confluence of Pampanga River's two headwaters, namely the Pantabangan and Carranglan Rivers in the municipality of Pantabangan. It stretches above the dam site for 21 kilometres (13 mi) to where Carranglan River originates in the Caraballo on the north, and for 18 kilometres (11 mi) to where Pantabangan River originates in the Sierra Madre on the east. It is considered a critical watershed for the agricultural economy and hydroelectric power generation in the region of Central Luzon.
The Battle of Villa Verde Trail was a campaign by the United States Army and Filipino guerrillas in the Philippines during World War II in 1945 to force its way across the Caraballo Mountains from the Central Luzon plain to the Cagayan Valley. Somewhat to the surprise of the Americans, the Japanese had constructed strong defenses along the narrow and winding Villa Verde Trail, 27 mi (43 km) in length. The campaign began on 21 February 1945 and concluded with the success of the Americans on 31 May 1945. The U.S.'s 32nd Infantry Division, called the Red Arrow Division, carried out the campaign with assistance from Filipino guerrillas.
16°07′59″N120°55′55″E / 16.1331362°N 120.9319578°E
