Ivana Alawi denies relationship with Bacolod mayor, says she's seeing a businessman
Ivana Alawi shut down rumors of a relationship between her and Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez as she broke her silence on the issue.
The actress was linked to Mayor Albee Benitez after they were reportedly seen together in an airport.
"There are issues and posts involving my name. I tried to stay quiet and dumedma na lang dahil sa paniniwala ko na hindi ako dapat magsalita lalo kapag alam ko na wala akong ginagawang masama," Ivana wrote on Facebook.
The FPJ's Batang Quiapo star added that she chose to address the rumors as "hurtful words" were being thrown at her family.
"HINDI PO AKO ANG NASASABING girlfriend ni Mayor Albee Benitez," Ivana said.
"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," she added.
In the same Feb. 10 statement, Ivana also set the record straight regarding her dating life.
"I am currently seeing someone who makes me happy. All I can say is that he is a respectable businessman and not a politician."
Before her statement, Mayor Albee also took to Facebook to speak on the speculations that he had an ongoing rift with his wife Dominique "Nikki" Lopez-Benitez as well as his alleged romances with Ivana and Angeli Khang.
"As for recent personal matters, I kindly request understanding and respect for privacy to shield all innocent parties involved. In my private capacity as a film and TV producer, my professional interaction with various celebrities is inherent to the nature of the business," he wrote on Feb. 9.
"At this moment, my primary focus is on safeguarding the interests of Bacolod City."
In December 2023, Ivana talked about her relationship status in a vlog with Bea Alonzo. The FPJ's Ang Probinsyano actress said she was seeing someone and that she is happy without revealing details about the person she's dating.