Ivana Alawi bids farewell to 'Batang Quiapo' role
Ivana Alawi has said goodbye to her role in the drama-action series Batang Quiapo after her character was killed off in the show's latest episode.
In an Instagram post, the actress and content creator shared a series of pictures of her last days at the production set, including a funny snap of herself lying in a coffin while doing a peace sign.
"Nung unang inalok sakin ang Batang Quiapo, isang malaking tanong ang pumasok sa isip ko. Bakit ako? Kaya ko ba ito? Deserve ko ba?" Ivana began.
"Pero dala na ng aking tiwala sa ABSCBN lalo na kay Tita Cory [Vidanes], Direk Coco [Martin], at sa panalangin ko din, tinanggap ko siya ng buong puso. At sobrang proud ako sa show na ito. Kaya naman gusto ko magpasalamat sa lahat ng bumubuo ng Batang Quiapo." she wrote.
The local star went on to highlight how she will always cherish her experience on the project before thanking her fans for all their support.
"Ngayong tapos na ang isang chapter ng buhay ko sa Batang Quiapo, babaunin ko lahat ng natutunan ko," Ivana said.
"From the bottom of my heart maraming salamat sa inyong lahat, sa inyong walang sawang pagtanggap sa akin gabi-gabi, sa pagmamahal niyo kay Bubbles. Salamat po ng marami at sana patuloy niyo parin supportahan ang Batang Quiapo," she ended.
Her farewell message comes after her character Bubbles was mercilessly shot by David, played by McCoy de Leon, in the series' July 30 episode.
Ivana remained mum on the alleged "attitude problem" she supposedly displayed on set that led to her removal. The rumors started when an unnamed personal assistant of the actress claimed that she was often unavailable to tape for the show or it was difficult to request an extension for taping hours.
These have since been addressed both by Ivana's manager, Perry Lansigan, and her talent agency, Star Magic.
Lansingan denied the supposed attitude problem and explained that Ivana was only supposed to appear in Batang Quiapo for a short time.
"From the very start na ininquire si Ivana Alawi ng Batang Quiapo, three months lang dapat talaga ang kaniyang pag-iistay sa nasabing teleserye. Three months ang kanilang napag-kasunduan at um-okay si Ivana," he told DJ Jhaiho on his online radio showbiz show Showbiz Sidelines.
Star Magic later released a statement on the issue and similarly defended the artist from the allegations, stressing how there was no truth to these.
"Magmula nang naging parte si Ivana ng serye, mainit ang naging pagtanggap ng publiko sa karakter ni Ivana na si Bubbles at ang tambalan nila ni Coco Martin, kaya naman naging daan ito para humaba ang kanyang pananatili sa serye ng higit sa napagkasunduang tatlong buwan," the agency stated.
"Nagpapasalamat kami sa dedikasyon, pagmamahal at masayang samahan na ipinamalas ni Ivana sa kanyang mga katrabaho, at sa pagbibigay serbisyo sa manonood," they added.
Batang Quiapo is based on the 1986 film that stars Fernando Poe Jr. and Maricel Soriano. It follows a young man named Tanggol as he rises to be one of the biggest outlaws in the neighborhood while navigating to survive his life in Quiapo, Manila.