By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

THE die is cast. With only seven days left before their much anticipated epic clash becomes inevitable — or, by some fluke of a chance, goes pffftt at the 11th hour — it now looks like Mayor Benjie Saplan Lim will be crossing swords with Speaker Joe de Venecia in the fourth district of Pangasinan.

The bell rings on March 29.

This after a make-or-break meeting called by ex-prez Fidel V. Ramos, Lakas chairman-emeritus, for a win-win solution to the BSL-JDV impasse, failed to bring out a compromise. Someone from the Lim camp was telling any mediaman who cared to listen last Wednesday that the Lakas hierarchy’s bargain to Benjie was
he can run unopposed for another term as mayor while JDV remains the unopposed congressman of the district. In short, a status quo — as the city’s barangay chairmen have earlier on proposed to the Lakas leadeship.

BSL’s counter-bargain was: “they” let his son, Brian, run unopposed for the mayorship and he forgets about fighting JDV.
It was practically the same as the original proposal of the Lakas leaders, except that it’s Brian instead of him who will be running .

The Lakas guys, especially the JDV camp, said no way.
With the stalemate on the table, The Tabako, (perhaps chomping away furiously at his cigar, we can just imagine) finally asked BSL one, final time whether he was really deadest to fight JDV.
When Benjie unequivocally said “yes,” FVR simply declared: “Then fight!”.

A grim-looking de Venecia left the meeting, Lim told local mediamen.

Last time we looked some hours ago, everyone was preparing the fireworks and the word is out to supporters: Take no prisoners! Ohboyohboyohboy, this is war, amigo, as the television wrestling show announcers would put it.

* * * *
How un-current could we be!
In last week’s item in this corner, we referred to Congressman Amado Espino’s Matalava concrete paving project as coming from his “CDF”. The word should have been Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF as solons’ pork barrel are now euphemistically called.

* * * *

The things you learn by reading (too) the inside pages of major national dailies, not just the front pages.

Imagine, of over 130 billboards on the 88-km stretch of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) “not one has complied with the law,” according to an official of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

DPWH National Building Code Development Office Director Emmanuel Cuntapay said starting next week, the department would be tearing down the structures at the NLEX that are not voluntarily dismantled or removed Thanks for the concern, DPWH, but then again, no thanks.

It’s not as if those hundred billboards just sprouted overnight you guys didn’t notice them at once. This is what usually happens when we ignore the first spark, before you know it, you have a big fire in your hands.
The people behind the proliferation of the billboards probably won’t care now if these are removed at all; in the decades that their little racket has flourished, they’ve already made their pile.
* * * *