WHATEVER the outcome of the current epic battle between House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia, Jr. and Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, both tightly contesting the fourth district congressional seat in Pangasinan, one thing’s certain – neither will come out of this unscathed.

Already, the fight has taken on a bitter tone and a darker complexion and the fact that both have resorted to legal action to pursue their respective cause indicates this will be one drawn-out battle never before seen in the annals of Pangasinan politics and to be told and retold in the next few decades.

One may emerge victorious, as surely one will prove smarter than the other, but a bitter taste in the mouth will be left if not in the losing camp’s , then in the people’s own collective, wide open mouth. Read more