Zamboanga Sibugay, a province in Mindanao, is home to magnificent beaches, delightful cuisine, and vibrant festivals. It’s no surprise our favorite beach babe Ivana Alawi enjoyed her trip there. Let’s watch her Zamboanga adventure in her vlog!

Ivana witnessed the return of the Talaba Festival which features a 500-meter-long grill set up around the Capitol grounds, with more than 20 tons of oysters that the locals and festival-goers feasted on; and the Lechon Festival where over 100 roast pigs were served.

People flocked to the venue hoping to catch a glimpse of Ivana, who also visited local stores to shop for ‘pasalubong.’ She filled the handmade abaca bag with delicacies like salabat or ginger tea powder, calamansi juice, crispy chicken isaw or intestine, danggit, and dried fruit candies; as well as the province’s famous lukot-lukot or crispy rice rolls; and bandi, which is made of peanuts and caramelized brown sugar.

That night, a sea of locals and tourists watched Ivana perform. She mingled with them, touched as many hands and granted as many selfie requests as possible. She also invited some lucky fans on stage. When she went back to her hotel, the ‘Crush ng Bayan’ was tired but happy, appreciating the warm welcome shown by the Simbugaynons. “Sobrang nag-enjoy ako, sa mga sigaw ninyo, sa mga ngiti ninyo. Sobrang sapat na sa akin ‘yan,” she said

If you check out Ivana’s Instagram grid, you’ll notice that she’s a total beach babe, which is why she made sure to squeeze a quick island hopping into her short trip. She and her team visited Buluan Island the next day, hours before their flight back to Manila.

Yes, it’s possible to enjoy the beach for just a few hours – good enough to chill and just take in the beautiful scenery. Though she wasn’t able to prepare a ‘bonggang’ swimsuit, she still nailed her OOTD shots in her sexy black top.

They feasted on heavy brunch – the lobsters and grilled tuna were so huge and tasty. Ivana also shared their food with the onlookers and exchanged stories with them. She learned that Buluan Island is a well-preserved marine sanctuary, thus the best spot for snorkelling and scuba diving, which she promised to try on her next visit.

Watch Ivana’s quick Zamboanga trip on her YouTube channel!