MANILA – Teen singer Darren Espanto finally broke his silence on persistent speculations about his sexual preference.

Speaking at a press conference for his upcoming concert, Espanto vehemently denied rumors that he is gay, saying he knows himself more than anyone.

“Marami pong nagsasabi na ‘Uy bakla si Darren,’ or I’m gay. Nakakatawa sila kasi I know who I am and alam ko pong hindi po ako bakla. It’s funny kasi they take the time to bash,” he said.

A photo posted by Darren Espanto (@darrenespanto1) on May 6, 2016 at 2:33am PDT

Espanto, however, acknowledged that he will always have critics, especially on social media.

“Siyempre po sa social media, hindi naman po maiiwasan ang pag-bash ng tao. You also have to think before you post din siyempre,” he said.

Espanto has been vocal about his crush on Cassy Legaspi, the daughter of Carmina Villarroel and Zoren Legaspi. He also has a crush on actress Kathryn Bernardo.

Espanto said he would rather focus all his attention to his upcoming concert at the KIA Theater.

He first rose to fame after joining the first season of “The Voice Kids,” where he finished as runner-up to Lyca Gairanod.