Balete Pass battle marked today

SANTA FE, Nueva Vizcaya — Hundreds of World War II veterans will commemorate here today the 57th anniversary of the "Battle of Balete Pass" in honor of the Filipino and American soldiers who were killed while pursuing the Japanese Imperial Forces toward Northern Luzon in 1945.

Salacnib Tulingan, regional coordinator of the Sons and Daughters Association of the Veterans of the Philippines, said World War II veterans across the region and their families are gathering at the historic Balete Pass here where a landmark in memory of the Filipino and American soldiers who died during the last days of the Second World War, stands.

The Balete Pass, now known as Dalton Pass in honor of the late US Army Col. James Dalton, was the site of one of the fiercest battles during the short-lived Japanese occupation.

According to history books, 7,403 Japanese troopers and 2,365 Filipino and American soldiers were killed in week-long encounters until the Pass was finally retrieved by the Allied forces on March 12, 1945.

Dalton was shot dead by a Japanese sniper while pursuing the retreating Japanese troops led by Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita toward the Cordillera hinterland. Yamashita was eventually captured, along with thousands of Japanese soldiers, in the forest of Kiangan, Ifugao on Sept. 2, 1945.

The Battle of Balete Pass was proclaimed by former President Fidel Ramos as one of the yearly official activities to commemorate Philippine Liberation. — Charlie Lagasca