Ivana Alawi said that she is ready to face possible legal charges following her “palimos” (begging) prank on her Youtube vlog wherein she disguised herself as a street beggar to find generous citizens who will give her alms, and repay them with the amount multiplied by a thousand.
Though her video earned positive comments from fans, the 24-year-old vlogger was also criticized for allegedly violating the Anti-Mendicancy Law of 1978 which prohibits begging or soliciting donations by the poor and other religious organizations on the streets.
Under the law, any person who gives alms will be penalized while those who beg for alms will be fined or imprisoned.
In a new vlog Ivana uploaded on her channel, she said that she is willing to defend herself if ever people will file a lawsuit against her for what she did.
“Kung may nalabag akong batas eh ‘di kasuhan na lang nila ako, haharapin ko ‘yun. Lalaban ako, ‘di ba? Kasi para sa akin I didn’t do anything wrong (If I violated a law, then let them sue me, I’ll willingly face the charges. I will defend myself, right? Because I know I didn’t do anything wrong),” she said.
She insisted that she only had good intentions with her prank, noting that she did not harm anyone in the video.
“Ang intention ko (My intention) was to just help out and to inspire people. Wala akong tinapakan na tao, wala akong nasaktan na tao, and masaya ako sa video (I didn’t trample on anyone, I didn’t hurt anyone, and I was happy with the video). I would do it again,” she added.
And to those who continue to criticize her for her actions, here’s what she said: “Hayaan na lang sila. Na realize ko sa buhay no matter what you do, kung may gagawin kang maganda, kung may gagawin kang hindi maganda, laging may masasabi sila. (Just let them be. I realized that no matter what you do in life, whether you do something good or not, they will always find something to say.)”
Prior to this, Ivana had reunited with a 58-year-old rice cake vendor she met during her prank vlog who had offered her food and money despite not knowing who she was. She then gave back to him tenfold with cash and his own motorcycle and even accompanied him to buy home appliances and more.
Ivana’s prank vlog currently has more than 18.6 million views.
(ALSO READ: LOOK: Ivana Alawi ‘Pranks’ Delivery Riders, Surprises Them with Cash and Gifts)
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