MANILA — Short of confirming their rumored relationship — and their supposed “monthsary” — comedy superstar Vice Ganda admitted on Monday that he considers Ion Perez “special.”

The topic came up Monday during a press conference for the 10th anniversary celebration of “It’s Showtime,” the noontime program where the apparent romance progressed from jokes to tearful moments in the past year.

Vice Ganda did not give a direct answer when asked what prompted him to post, for the first time, a photo of him with Perez on his widely followed Instagram page last week.

“Unang-una, gusto ko. Pangalawa, kaya ko. Pangatlo, puwede naman,” he said.

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A post shared by JoseMarieViceral / Vice Ganda (@praybeytbenjamin) on Sep 25, 2019 at 12:26am PDT

Turning serious, when quizzed on what sets Perez apart from other men he has met, Vice Ganda said: “Si Ion, espesyal siya. Napapasaya niya ako, napapangiti, napapakilig niya ako.”

In the months since Perez joined “It’s Showtime,” initially as “Kuya Escort” in the popular Miss Q&A segment, he and Vice Ganda have been the constant target of teasing from their co-hosts, suggesting they’ve brought their onscreen “romance” into real life.

Outside the ABS-CBN program, Perez and Vice Ganda have been photographed being affectionate with each other, as well as sharing personal milestones. Notably, in July, the two met each other’s family members.

Early this month, the two yet again made headlines when a playful exchange of “I love you’s” during a live episode of “It’s Showtime” unfolded to be an emotional moment for the rumored couple.

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With every apparent development in their relationship, fans of Vice Ganda and Perez would flood social media with supportive comments, at times even making “ViceIon” trend on Twitter.

“Ang daming masaya na masaya ako,” Vice Ganda said on Monday, when asked for his reaction to those fans.

“Sa panahon ngayon, lalo na pag showbiz ka, mas mahala pag ‘yung artista malungkot, may iskandalo, kasi mas gustong pinag-uusapan ng mga tao ‘yon. Pag may nangyayaring masama doon sa mga artista, iyon ‘yung headline na lahat interesado.

“Pero ‘yung simpleng kasiyahan ko, na nararamdaman ko ang daming nag-ri-react, ang daming nag-aabang kung ano’ng susunod na mangyayari, na-o-overwhelem ako at grateful ako sa inyong lahat, dahil masaya kayo sa kasiyahan ko, at hindi niyo iyon gustong kontrolin,” he said.

Vice Ganda says he is “overwhelmed and grateful” when asked for his reaction to many fans being supportive of his rumored romance with Ion Perez @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/GZfUq1QNfS

— Miguel Dumaual (@migueldumaual) September 30, 2019

Vice Ganda went on: “May mga gusto kayong malaman, pero hindi niyo pakikialaman. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat sa pagbibigay respeto na lang din doon sa damdamin namin. Masaya po talaga ako na masaya kayo para sa akin.”

When asked whether fans can expect a confirmation of the romance, coinciding with the grand anniversary celebration of “It’s Showtime,” the comedian laughed off the idea of sharing the spotlight with the program’s milestone.

“Walang gano’ng mangyayari!” he said.