TEAM Unity senatorial candidate Luis "Chavit" Singson yesterday denied raffling off cash from his own pocket in a campaign sortie in Misamis Oriental last Sunday, saying he only picked the names of the winners.

"Ang kasalanan ko lamang kung masama man iyun, na-obliga ako na bumunot. Bumunot ako sa raffle na iyun, hindi ako bumunot sa aking bulsa, nag-sorry ako sa pagbunot. Dapat sinabi ko na lamang na bawal iyan at umalis na ako," he told radio dzMM.

"Sila (organizers) ang nagpa-raffle, napakaliit na pera P500. Hindi ako nagpa-raffle at hindi ako nagbigay ng pera. Mayroon nang nakahanda," he said.

Television footages showed Singson handing out envelopes containing cash to raffle winners where local officials were caught saying "ikampanya mo, iboto mo si Senador Chavit Singson."

Singson admitted chipping in a "small" amount of cash, saying he did not want to be labeled as "kuripot."

Under Section 104 of the Omnibus Election Code, candidates are prohibited from giving donations or gifts in cash or in kind. – Wendell Vigilia