Airbox silencer/snorkle question

I was changing my battery today on my MKIV Jetta 2L and i ended up removing the airbox in the process. Upon further inspection of my airbox, i knowticed that on the bottom half, where the hose from the outside leads into the box, there is a tube of plastic that seemed rather constrictive, mabye 6 inches long or so. I decided to remove this, I am thinking its the silencer for the air box, but im not sure, anyone care to clear that up for me. It seemed to provide a small increase in performance, a little more omphf if you will.

Well it serves 2 purposes as far as I know. It is a silencer....the average person wants quiet....most of us aren't average. The other purpose is water...since water is heavy, most of it is trapped in this box and drains back outside the car instead of being sucked into the engine.