DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan – The construction of the 88-kilometer Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) was envisioned to benefit the people of the north and not only Baguio City and the Cordillera, thus, the need for the diversion of a portion of the roadline northward to reduce the travel time for motorists going to the ILocos region, former Pangasinan 5th district Rep. Mark Cojuangco said here Thursday.
The former lawmaker cited the primary reason why people of Sison town and other critics of the project are fighting for the deviation of the roadline is the reduction of travel time towards the north aside from the put up of a P100 million diversion road from its exist to Rosario, La Union leading towards the mouth of Kennon Road and Marcos Highway.
“We will continue to fight for the inclusion of the new proposed TPLEX exit to avoid enormous damages to existing communities in Pozorrubion, Sison in Pangsainan and Rosario in La Union,” Cojuangco stressed.
He added Baguio City and the Cordillera enjoy huge influx of vehicles only during peak holidays in December and February but most of the year, most of the vehicular traffic is towards the north, thus, the importance of putting up the new TPLEX exit towards the northern part and not in Rosario, La Union near the entrance of both Kennon road and Marcos highway.
According to him, implementing the original TPLEX plan would result to massive displacement of people living in established communities in Pozorrubio and Sison towns which should not be the case considering that there is already a built in error in it that people have to suffer within the next 200 years.
If government refuses to adhere to their plight to realign the TPLEX exit northward, Cojuangco said he and his supporters will be constrained to file the appropriate case before the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the major government project from inflicting serious damages to the communities that are already in place along the roadline.
The construction of the TPLEX is now on its final stages and that the roadline is expected to be operational by the middle part of next year if there will be no delays as a result of the on-going debates among national and local leaders on whether or not to pursue the proposed realignment of the highway northward and put up a diversion road towards Marcos Highway and Kennon Road.
Cojuangco vehemently denied previous allegations by his critics that the reason why he is working hard to pursue the realignment of the TPLEX entrance northward is because the same will pass through his properties that will be traversed, saying that he does not own any single property within the proposed TPLEX exit.
He challenged those alleging that he owns properties within the proposed new TPLEX exit to show the necessary proofs that he owns such properties and not for them to resort to simple allegations that would affect his status, asserting that he does not own any property and what he is fighting for is for the interests of motorists going to the north.
