Coco Martin, the lead actor and director of the hit series ‘FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,’ has debunked rumors surrounding Ivana Alawi’s departure from the show.
Contrary to speculations of on-set issues, Coco confirmed that Ivana left the series due to her other professional commitments.
Coco expressed his sadness over Ivana’s exit, noting how her departure impacted the team. “Malungkot, kasi ano eh, siyempre, tagal din namin nakasama si Ivana. Almost one year. Kumbaga, parang pamilya na ‘yung turing namin sa kanya tapos napakabait niya eh,” Coco said in an interview with ABS-CBN.
Ivana’s character was written out of the show in a high-stakes episode where McCoy de Leon’s character killed her off. This episode set a new record with 635,636 concurrent viewers on Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube.
Addressing the rumors, Coco explained, “Hindi naman namin akalain na gaganda nang gaganda ‘yung role at ‘yung kwento namin. E, humaba na nang humaba. Siyempre, nakakalimutan namin, si Ivana marami siyang mga ano eh, may mga commitments, eh. May mga show pa siyang gagawin, may vlog siya. Kaya nu’ng inano na niya, kailangan na niya magpaalam, wala naman akong magawa.”
On Ivana’s last taping day, Coco chose not to dwell on her departure. “Hindi nga kami nag-uusap. Kasi ayokong pag-usapan na about sa pag-alis. Nag-uusap kami as a normal. Ayoko kasing ano, ayokong…basta ano kami, normal masaya, nagtatawanan lang kami. Kanina, nagbibiruan nga kami doon sa take eh,” he shared.
Understanding the demands of their profession, Coco respected Ivana’s need to fulfill her other obligations. “Naiintindihan ko siya, kasi artista rin ako eh. ‘Di ba, may mga commitments ka na kailangan mong gampanan at baka mamaya magka-problema. Sabi ko nga, kaya naman namin ito, sanay na kami diyan. Nu’ng ‘Probinsyano’ pa, marami nang ganitong mga cases na nangyari, kaya ako sobra akong nagpapasalamat sa kanya,” he stated.
Coco also praised Ivana for her significant contribution to the show. “Sobrang laki na ng naiambag ni Ivana sa show. Sobra-sobra ‘yung karakter ni Bubbles, and then ang hinihingi ko lang, sana nag-enjoy siya. At sana huwag siyang magsawa na makatrabaho ulit ako,” he added.
