| The famous Benguet Road,
better known far and wide as Kennon Road, is one of the best mountain roads
in the world. Named after Major Lyman M. Kennon, the ultimate builder of
the road, it stands as a tribute to Major Kennon's engineering skill and
knowledge and excellent understanding of human nature.
The construction of the historic
road was difficult and dangerous. Diseases and even cholera attacked the
workers. Some of the nationalities who contributed to the labor force in
the construction of the highway were Filipinos, Spaniards, Indians, Chinese,
Japanese, Hawaiians, Portuguese, Mexicans, Italians, French, English, Canadians.
Germans, Americans, etc. The largest contingent of foreign workers recruited
to construct the Kennon
Road in 1903 were the Japanese.
Based on the 1903 census, there were 921 Japanese migrants. Of these, there
were 800 Japanese workers from Okinawa Prefecture. They were among the
more than 20 nationalities of workers who worked in the Kennon Road Project
under the supervision of Colonel Lyman Kennon. Of the original 800 workers,
only about 300 survived when the road was completed in 1907. The rest fell
victims to accidents and diseases.
This year celebrates not
only the 100th anniversary of the role and historical significance of the
arrival of the first group of Japanese workers who worked in the construction
of the historic Kennon road, but also a celebration of the human spirit
among peoples of different nations that brought about the construction
of the road. |
