MANILA -- Jex de Castro is again the champion of "Tawag ng Tanghalan."

He won the title once more on Tuesday after defeating Roland "Bunot" Abante with his cover of Bryan Adams' "Please Forgive Me." De Castro scored 93.8 percent, while Abante got 91.6 percent for his performance of Martin Nievera's "Ikaw Ang Pangarap."

A Viva Artist according to his Instagram profile, De Castro first became the champion of the singing contest back in December. However, he missed out on an automatic place in the semifinals after having his 4-day win streak snapped.

A contestant will need five to move past the first round.

De Castro said he first joined the competition to help pay for his younger brother's college tuition,. He decided to to try once more after getting more encouragement from fans and family.

"Two weeks po akong hindi kumanta after that," he said as he told the hosts of "It's Showtime" what it felt like to come close of a semifinals berth.