Dalton Pass

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, 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. 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)).

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 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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." The Americans took the Balete area on 31 May 1945.