200 Pangasinan landowners barricade portion of TPLEx over unpaid properties

POZURRUBIO, PANGASINAN — Some 200 owners of properties affected by the construction of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) have blocked a lane of the road on Friday morning due to non-payment of their lands.

The protesters carried banners and barricaded a portion of the expressway, preventing motorists from passing through the road in Barangay Bobonan here since 7 a.m.

The residents were demanding from the Department of Public Works and Highways and TPLEx officials the balance of the payments for their lands and properties.

The protesters said their initial plan was to close both lanes but then decided to allow motorists to exit from the expressway towards the highway going to Baguio City.

The landowners said they would not leave the area until representatives from TPLEx or DPWH faced them./lzb