THE aide of outgoing Negros Occidental First District Representative Julio Ledesma IV denied that he is the one behind the non-passage of the P7 million budget for the salaries of job order employees in Salvador Benedicto.

Mariano Antonio Cui, aide of Ledesma, was only reacting to the accusations of outgoing Salvador Benedicto Mayor Jose Max Ortiz, who said that the members of Municipal Council were taking orders from him.

In a phone interview, Cui said Tuesday that some councilors went to him to ask for a lawyer, who then attended the Municipal Council session and advised them what to do.

“Where am I involved in that?” he asked.

Ortiz claimed that councilors have not held their regular sessions for six weeks, despite the protests and pleas of the workers.

“It is tantamount to dereliction of duty,” the mayor said.

The inaction of Municipal Council members on the budget since February has affected about 150 to 200 JO workers, he said.

With the non-passage of the budget, the operation of the municipal government was also affected, he added.

Ortiz called on the councilors to “use their common sense” and perform their mandated duties. (TDE)