Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez insisted he was not traveling with actress Ivana Alawi when they were photographed in an airport in Tokyo, Japan.
In a statement, Benitez said he was on a business trip in Japan when he had a chance encounter with Ivana.
“I was there on a business trip, as stated in my official travel order. Speculations involving Ms. Ivana Ivana are untrue and only serve to put malice into what was clearly a chance encounter,” he said.
Benitez also apologized to Ivana’s family after they were dragged on the said issue.
It can be recalled that Ivana already denied that she had a relationship with Benitez.
Ivana insisted that Benitez was only a friend, whom she met during her visit to Bacolod.
“Hindi po ako ang nasasabing girlfriend ni Mayor Albee Albee. 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 said.
Meanwhile, Victorias City Mayor Javi Benitez, known for siding with his mother, Nikki Benitez, made several cryptic posts after his father released a statement.
Just in: Javi Benitez posts “money talks.” Whom is he referring to? Is this connected to his dad being linked to a sexy actress? pic.twitter.com/robqUi8rBO
— Auntie Selina (@auntieselinamo) February 9, 2024
Netizens were still waiting for Mrs. Benitez’s statement on the issue involving her partner.