Progressive North

Last weekend, my family ventured north to the progressive province of La Union. The last time I visited would have been nearly two decades ago when I was a student in law school. The development of La Union, particularly the cities of San Fernando and San Juan, has been quite dramatic despite its main thoroughfare remaining the same.

From having one specific resort to visit — the San Juan Surf Resort — and a handful of restaurants to dine in, we now have a smaller version of Boracay but with the energy of Metro Manila in a short strip in San Juan.

Thinking about how this came about, I can suggest three main occurrences that served as the impetus for La Union’s progress.

First was the opening of the TPLEX to Rosario, La Union. This allowed a seamless drive from Manila to the tip of La Union. There is a proposed extension of the TPLEX directly to San Juan, right smack in the middle of the surfing center of Northern Philippines. Imagine how the province will progress should the project come to fruition.

Second, the closure of Boracay in 2018 forced people to look for other domestic tourist destinations. The beneficiaries of these were mainly La Union, Siargao and El Nido, Palawan. La Union brought in more people from Manila since it did not require a flight, just a 4-to-5-hour drive.

Third, and in relation to the second, the pandemic made it more difficult to travel via air. Heading to La Union to escape urban Manila brought a boom in new hotels and restaurants at par with what we have in the city. Restaurant concepts that started in La Union have even been brought to Manila.

More than anything, La Union proves that seamless infrastructure will lead to progress in the provinces. Given how the province has been benefitting from tourism, the local government should give further priority to how to better flourish it.

One downside I saw was how difficult, even dangerous, it was for pedestrians to walk around San Juan since the main highway slices down its middle. To make it safer for tourists to wander around, especially in the evening, the local government may want to prohibit buses and trucks from passing through. I noticed that a bypass road has been built, but it appears to be too narrow for larger vehicles.

There is a lot of room for development in La Union. Having traveled there with children, it would help if more child-friendly open areas were developed. Surfing may not be the sport for young kids, so more playgrounds and areas for summer school and sports activities could be built. And with Baguio nearby, La Union can partner with the Summer Capital on sporting events, such as Iron Man or cycling competitions. There is a lack of golf courses in La Union, just a 9-hole course at Thunderbird, which I intend to visit in the near future.

La Union and the nearby provinces will benefit from the northern migration of development from Manila and the future opening of the Manila International Airport in Bulacan.

On our way home, we got a better glimpse of how the Northern Commuter rail is taking shape in Clark, Pampanga. The provinces south of Manila, namely Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas, have had their share of progress. It is time for the North to get its fair share.

For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com.