ASIN ROAD ADVENTURES: SOJOURN OF ASIN TUNNELS AND SHRINE OF THE BROWN MADONNA IN BENGUET

Before embarking on this adventure, I did not have the slightest idea that the Asin Tunnels existed.  I realized that these tunnels has a significant part in Philippine history that is worth exploring.  It might have been an engineering marvel if it the Spanish colonizers completed its plan in building a railroad connecting Benguet to the town of Damortis in Launion.  Much of the original condition of the tunnels remain today and this experience is now part of my bucket list adventure.

 The drive along the Asin road is a challenging one especially for people with afflictions such as me with a kidney condition.  I have to make sure that I am adequately hydrated but not too much that would would require me to stop frequently for a comfort break.  Sometimes you just have to take these kind of physical challenges to know your limits. When I first studied the map, I was thinking that this journey will be an easy one if I follow the route on the map.  To my surprise the 2D perspective I studied on the map was completely different from the actual drive.  It was a grueling downhill drive along steep curves and rain-soaked road.  I was really hoping and praying that my Spitfire Vios will be able to make the journey.

However, the zigzag trip was replaced by beautiful mountain scenery and we passed by several small waterfalls brought about by the rain.  I was a little bit concerned about my car as the axle joint began to produce rattling noises.  I drove more carefully making sure not to turn the steering wheel sharply to avoid straining the joint further.  Good thing an angel was guiding our trip and we were able to complete this epic journey.

Most of the drive was downhill so I was also very careful not to use the brakes too much so I relied mostly on engine brakes though I'm not too much accustomed yet using engine brakes on automatic transmission.  Because of too much attention to the car, I wasn't able to enjoy the scenery on the first day but I was just able to enjoy it better the next day when the sun was out shining bright.

There were several bridges along the Asin road and the most prominent one is the Irisan Bridge here which I think is the vital lifeline of the secluded part of Tuba.  One can just imagine the isolation if this bridge collapses during a landslide, flashflood or earthquake, the entire area would be isolated from Baguio.

As I was driving along this road, I can't help but imagine the condition of this place when the roads were not yet paved and one has to experience a grueling trip on rough and muddy roads.  Life would be a standstill during these times.  Good thing today, the government had developed the road so that the people living in these areas have more access to Baguio and many places in Tuba are now easily visited by tourists.

Another thing that caught my attention was this stone marker of a "gabi" plant or "Alocasia species.  This place is probably rich with this type of plant.  I have a colleague who is an expert on Alocasia and I think she knows well the richness of this species in this particular region of Benguet.

The ASIN TUNNEL are actually two tunnels about 500 yrds long and 800yrds apart.  It was fiercely defended by Japanese Imperial Army during the final assault from GALIANO towards Asin and Baguio by the 130th Infantry Regiment of XIV corps until it captured the tunnels on 23rd April. An 11 days of action with the casualty of 350 Japs and 13 Allied Forces.

An excerpt from the US Army war accounts of  the taking of Asin tunnels @ http://www.33rdinfantrydivision.org/book_galiano_tunnels.htm

The southern tip of the Asin Tunnel ridge was shaped like an inverted U, the curve of the U representing a deep, wooded gorge referred to on the map as Windy Gulch Creek. The arms of the U were eight hundred yards apart and each housed one of the tunnels. Realizing that the enemy was beaten in the Asin sector, Colonel Collins, anxious to administer the coup de grace, ordered Major Faulconer to seize the remaining hill and tunnel the following morning. The 2d Battalion was given a secondary mission of combing the southern portion of the ridge in a mop-up designed to catch any survivors of the previous lay's action.

 Scheme of maneuver for this final move called for a double envelopment with Company F attacking from the north and Item Company, attached to the battalion for this action, moving from the south. Early on 23 April the attack was resumed with the aggressiveness character istic of all Blackhawk activity along the ridge. Although the I resisted fiercely, these two companies gradually threw a ring of steel around his strongpoints and within a few hours the handful of Nips guarding the second tunnel and the hill above had been killed or driven off.  "The Ripper's" Blackhawks were over the hump. Baguio was a hop, and a skip away.

The Asin tunnel is considered as an engineering marvel.  It was carved out of solid rock during the Spanish era using prisoners-of- war and was intended to be part of a railway system connecting the town of Tuba to Damortis in LaUnion.  After the Americans took over the archipelago, the idea of a railway system still lingered until it was finally abandoned in 1915.  Instead, the tunnel became part of the road system that connects the Asin valley and Baguio City.  Much of the tunnel remains as it is except for the road floor which was eventually cemented with concrete.  But the ceiling remains rough and sturdy as it withstood the mighty Luzon Earthquake of 1990.  Not a single crack was found along its walls.

 As we drove upward after the Asin tunnels, my eyes suddenly caught a cavernous structure with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Both sides of the road were neatly adorned with flowers so I immediately stepped on the brakes to tour the place.  I found out that it was the Shrine of the Brown Madonna.  At this point, I am not familiar with this shrine so this tour would be an educational one for me.

The roadside was adorned with beautiful flowering plants like this one. I'm not well versed with plants so I leave it to my site visitors to name this species please.  The place is being maintained by a gardener so I think this shrine is being revered by the locals.

The Shrine of the Brown Madonna is located along KM7 of Asin Road in Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet.  It is emplaced in a man-made tunnel which is one if the famous Asin tunnels.  The tunnel was rediscovered by thenn former Baguio City Councilor Nars Padilla in 1986. 

Based on the Philippine Daily Inquirer article, Councilor Padilla was the driving force in encouraging neighbors to put up a shrine.  It was through this "bayanihan" initiative that the Shrine was built into reality. 

 The image of the Virgin Mary does not bear a "brown" color, but during special occasions, especially during its anniversary, devotees would garbed it with a brown cape, thus it became popularly known as the "Brown Madonna".  The anniversary of the Brown Madonna falls every 1st week of October.

As I conclude my Asin Road adventure, I stopped for the last time to pose alongside a cliff showing a breathttaking view of the Benguet countryside and the West Philippine Sea in the far background beyond the mountains.  Has this trip provided some health benefits for me?  Probably the challenge here is traveling with a car trouble contributed much to the excitement.  Though I would not recommend anyone going on a trip like this with a mechanical problem in your vehicle.  The road trip is very risky because of the steep incline of the road and the frequent curves that one has to manage.  Both of this road conditions can exert a lot of strain to your brakes and engine.  So to enjoy a more relaxing drive, make sure that all systems in your car are in tip-top condition.  When unexpected troubles happen when you are already in your destination, make sure to have it fixed as soon as possible to prevent mishaps and probably loss of life or limb.  Nevertheless the adrenaline rush that it has given me provided much feel good hormones to my body together with the many first time experiences in these wonderful yet rustic place called Asin.