By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

IN the end, the mediator became the promoter of what many political pundits have billed this early as a “titanic clash” between an old and wise incumbent and a young, dynamic challenger.

By Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim’s own account of the meeting called by former President and Lakas chairman emeritus Fidel V. Ramos middle of last week at Ramos’ office in Makati City where he and House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia, Jr. were the main attendees, the fourth district congressional fight is now joined.

Lim said he had unequivocally answered Ramos in the affirmative when the latter — unable to make Lim budge and finding his (Lim’s) counter-proposal that Lakas allows his son Brian, to run as unopposed mayoralty candidate of Dagupan unacceptable – asked him a final time whether he was really deadset to fight De Venecia.

As soon as the words, “Yes”, left Lim’s mouth, Ramos reportedly declared “Then, fight” in what those in the room felt was a signal move that the former president had given up on his arbiter role and decided to let the better man between his two allies win.

Lim said the Lakas leaders’ proposal was for a status quo; he runs and remains city mayor and De Venecia stays the undisputed congressman of the fourth district.

Lim offered a counter-proposal that, according to him, “practically had the same effect as a status quo”: He will not fight De Venecia but his son, Marc Brian, runs for city mayor unopposed while he takes a breather from politics.

A source privy to the “negotiations” said the Lakas stalwarts felt Brian was still too young and inexperienced to lead the city and they would have preferred Lim to run and complete his legal terms.

The same source said the “counterforce” Fernandez-Fernandez tandem of Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez, Jr., and businesswoman Belen Fernandez was actually only meant as a maneuver to force a “boxed-in” Lim to accept the Lakas status quo card.

Until the very last minute, Belen Fernandez was fully advised the arrangement could be scuttled “depending on the results of final talks (with Lim).”

Late Wednesday, after the Ramos-initiated meeting failed to make Lim agree, a report said Fernandez (Belen) was told by the De Venecia camp to already go ahead and produce her campaign materials and meet with her local village leaders. (See related story)

Up to presstime, it was not clear who would be Brian Lim’s running-mate after his earlier reported vice mayoralty partner, Councilor Luis “Chito” Samson, was listed among the incumbent councilors who will run under the Fernandez-Fernandez ticket.