Atienza and Lacuna had a one- on-one meeting on Thursday where they ironed out their differences, Secretary to the City Council Atty. Rudy Lapid said.

In particular, the two leaders agreed on the possible team-up of Lacuna and the mayor’s son, former councilor Kim Atienza in the 2007 elections.

Earlier, former councilor Joy Dawis personally informed Lacuna of Atienza’s offer to consolidate political forces, which resulted in the meeting between the two top city officials.

For a long time, Lacuna has been at odds with Atienza as he and at least three minority councilors tried to block the passage of administration-sponsored ordinances, the last of which was the controversial Teresa street pedestrianization and the construction of a housing project on the Arroceros Forest Park.

Lacuna and Atienza are both on their last term, but the vice mayor has been considered as Atienza’s heir apparent.

Lacuna has declared that he may run for mayor in the 2007 elections. Atienza, meanwhile, said he would not run or seek any government position in the next elections but will instead concentrate on helping whoever will be the candidates of the Liberal Party to which he belongs.

Atienza, Lacuna and former mayor Mel Lopez were together in the opposition camp during the Marcos era. The trio tangled for the mayoralty during the 1988 elections where Lopez won.

Atienza and Lopez again tangled in 1995 for the vice mayoralty race, where Atienza prevailed. Lacuna won the vice mayor’s post in 1998 but his running mate Amado Bagatsing lost to Atienza.