P’sinan landowners block TPLEX over non-payment

By Eva Visperas

POZORRUBIO, Pangasinan — Landowners partially barricaded a lane of the Pozorrubio entrance/exit in Barangay Bobonan here along the portion of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway for almost six hours yesterday over land expropriated by the government. 

Susan Mangada, one of the landowners, said they have written several letters to the Department of Public Works and Highways and other offices demanding payment, but their efforts proved futile.

“So we are united in asking President Duterte, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar and others for the payment of our lands,” Mangada said.

Meanwhile, Pozorrubio Mayor Ernesto Go, who is also a landowner, said he could not stop the people from staging a peaceful rally and barricade.

“They want to relay to concerned authorities about their sad plight as this has taken years already of unsettled payments where most of the affected are senior citizens and farmers and some of them have already died without getting their payment,” Go maintained.

About 360 landowners from Pozorrubio, Laoac and Sison towns are similarly affected.

Senior Supt. Wilson Joseph Lopez, police director of Pangasinan, said the protesters proceeded to the Pozorrubio town hall before noon.

Representatives from the DPWH attended the dialogue.

On Dec. 6 last year, the new 10.10-kilometer segment of the TPLEX from Binalonan to Pozorrubio was opened.