Travelling to Baguio from Metro Manila gives one the best of two worlds — the chance to experience the chilly, mountainous places of Benguet and the sun-laden beaches of La Union. But even for someone who owns and drives his or her own car, enduring over three hours on the road to experience both destinations is not that easy. But that will soon change.
With the completion of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) within the month, driving to Baguio and La Union will take just three hours when leaving from Quezon City. This will be possible as soon as relevant authorities open the 11-kilometre Pozorrubio, Pangasinan to Rosario, La Union section of TPLEX on 15 Jul 2020.
In one Facebook post by Build Build Build’s Anna Mae Lamentillo, the Committee Chairman of Infrastructure excitedly shared that her team managed to reach Baguio from Manila via TPLEX in just three hours. The post mentioned that they left Pasig at 10am and arrived in the City of Pines at 12.30pm at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour.
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While this will vary when the last portion of the 88.85-kilometre expressway opens, driving to Baguio from Manila via TPLEX will be significantly faster. The same is true for when driving to La Union, as Lamentillo said they reached the destination just two and a half hours after leaving the Philippine capital.
At the time of publication, Baguio remains under modified general community quarantine, with plans to reopen in September as a safe vacation spot. Meanwhile, La Union is still under general community quarantine with some tourism establishments gradually reopening with safety protocols.
Featured image credit: Department of Public Works and Highways | Official Facebook
