Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Benitez denied he went to Japan with actress Ivana Alawi, saying it was only a “chance encounter” after a video of the two of them conversing while in line at the airport went viral online.
“I am fully aware of the video footage that has been circulating, which unfortunately does not accurately explain why I was in Tokyo…Speculations involving Ms. Ivana Alawi are untrue and only serve to put malice into what was clearly a chance encounter,” Benitez said.
He said he was in Tokyo for a business trip that was covered by an official travel order.
“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,” the mayor said.
Alawi, in a separate statement, said she is currently dating a businessman.
“Hindi po ako ang nasasabing girlfriend ni Mayor Albee Benitez…I am currently seeing someone who makes me happy. All I can say is that he is a respectable businessman and not a politician,” she said.