A stand for family and respect amid Ivana Alawi rumors
ALL eyes were on sultry YouTube sensation-turned-TV star Ivana Alawi’s Facebook page Saturday night when she categorically denied any romantic involvement with Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez amid rumors that the pair have been spotted together in Japan and the politician’s Visayan bailiwick.
Rapidly gaining thousands of views, Alawi, 27, wrote, “There are posts and issues involving my name. I tried to stay quiet at dumedma na lang dahil sa paniniwala ko na hindi ako dapat magsalita lalo kapag alam ko na wala akong ginagawang masama.
“But because of the false accusations and hurtful words that are being thrown to (sic) my Mom and Mona, kinailangan ko nang linawin ang mga bagay,” she continued.
(“I tried to stay quiet and ignore the rumors, believing it best not to speak, especially since I know I haven’t done anything wrong. But because of the false accusations and hurtful words that are being thrown at my Mom and [my sister] Mona, I now need to make things clear.”)
“This will be the first and last time na magsasalita ako dito. Hindi po ako ang nasasabing girlfriend ni Mayor Albee Benitez,” she stressed. “I met him when I had work in Bacolod. He was very accommodating and friendly. At hindi lang siya ang politikong nakilala ko at naging kaibigan.”
(“I’m not Mayor Albee Benitez’s alleged girlfriend. I met him when I had to work in Bacolod. He was very accommodating and friendly. And he’s not the only politician I met and became friends with.”)
To prove her claim, Alawi consequently announced in the same Facebook post that she is even dating someone else.
“I am currently seeing someone who makes me happy. All I can say is that he is a respectable businessman and not a politician,” the actress adamantly wrote, adding, “Sana [I hope] this helps clear my name and clarify all rumors. Maraming salamat. [Thank you very much].”
Twenty-four hours later, it was Mayor Benitez’s turn to release his own denial on social media. The politician, who is also popular in showbiz circles as the owner of Brightlight Productions, Inc., was forced to do so in deference to Alawi’s family, given how a “malicious” video continues to go viral despite the latter’s Facebook post. Uploaded by a netizen, it shows the ABS-CBN talent waiting in line with a masked man who looks just like Benitez at an airport in Japan.
Writing on both his official Facebook and Instagram accounts, the mayor acknowledged late Sunday night, “I am fully aware of the video footage that has been circulating, which unfortunately does not accurately explain why I was in Tokyo. I went there on a business trip, as stated in my official travel order.
“Speculations involving Ms. Ivana Alawi are untrue and only serve to put malice into what was clearly a chance encounter,” he continued.
“I apologize to Ms. Alawi and her family, who have been unfairly dragged into issues concerning my private life. There is no truth to any and all the rumors spreading, and I am setting the record straight to avoid further hurt and damage to them. “Maraming salamat po,” he ended. Alawi is one of the most successful Filipino YouTubers with over 17 millionfollowers. As an actress, she is currently making a name as one of the main characters in the hit TVseries, “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”
Benitez, meanwhile, was former congressman of the 3rd district of Negros Occidental before he was elected Bacolod City Mayor in 2022.
Now 57 years old, he became a business magnate at an early age following his return from the US where he went to university. Primarily involved in leisure and gaming, he founded Brightlight Productions, Inc. in 2020, which has since produced TV shows and movies such as “Magikland.” The company likewise co-produced the 2023 Metro Manila Summer Film Festival entry, “Here Comes the Groom,” and last December’s MMFF entry, “Kampon,” starring Derek Ramsay.