Darren Espanto and AC Bonifacio have been close friends for almost a decade, which is why their closeness even fueled persistent relationship rumors about them at the start. But over time, the two Kapamilya artists have proven that they are the best of friends in every way. Now that AC is currently a housemate in the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab season, she has been the subject of online bashing that Darren will not tolerate. 

The 23-year-old singer couldn’t help but defend his bestie during his launch as the new face of City Cafe last March 26 in Pasay City. 

He shared, “Feeling ko hindi ganun kadami yung issue niya ngayon kung nasa loob ako ng bahay kasama niya (laughs). Of course, we’re all rooting for her. I feel like a lot of people just misinterpret a lot of the things that not just AC ha, but a lot of the things that the housemates say within the house and their actions. Kasi ayun nga tina-tag kami ni Niana (Guerrero) sa madaming tweets tungkol kay AC, (saying na), ‘Hindi niyo ba kilala yung best friend niyo?’

"Siyempre ako eight years ko na best friend si AC so I know her inside and out. I know what the backstory is to what she’s doing inside the house. And I’m not saying like we all tolerate everything that we do even though we’re best friends. Siyempre may mga limitations din. And at the end of the day, we’re just there to support her. Ngayon kasama siya sa mga nominees for eviction so we’ll see what happens.”

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READ: Darren Espanto shows support for PBB journey of AC Bonifacio

Darren said it's only natural for him and their other friends to be affected by all the backlash against AC.

“I feel like all of us get affected even when it’s not just our family members being bashed, even if it’s our friends naman. Kami nila Niana nag-te-text. Also, we’re checking up on AC’s mom, si tita Cherry. May mga group calls kaming ginagawa just to talk about everything that’s happening inside the house,” he admitted. 

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Coming to the defense of his longtime friend, Darren said he just hopes people can not be quick to judge what they see onscreen.

“I hope people get to understand AC more at saka they give her a chance kasi feeling ko malakas din ang laban ng best friend ko. Before going in talaga, all of us knew what she was going to be going into. All of us are rooting for her. Sana mabigyan rin siya ng chance to be able to showcase her talents inside the house, her personality and how good of a person she is,” he said. 

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During one previous birthday post he made for AC on social media, Darren shared just how close a bond he shares with his fellow Canadian-raised friend. He wrote, “Our friendship has gone through a lot, and still… here we are. Thank you for always being my one-call-away, literally, and even though you’re only 5 foot 3, you still find ways to lift me up. People have made issues about our friendship and have questioned how close we truly are and honestly, I guess that just means they’ve never seen a best-friend tandem like ours.”

READ: EXCLUSIVE: AC Bonifacio on constantly being linked to Darren Espanto: ‘It’s just so funny!’

When asked if he would be open to going back inside the PBB house, Darren only has one condition. “Okay naman basta guest housemate lang kasi parang mas gusto kong may ginagawa. Kung nasa loob lang ako ng bahay ni Kuya na pinapanuod lang yung mga housemates, parang feeling ko may kailangan ako gawin na trabaho or something. Parang di ako mapapakali. Pero nakapasok na din naman ako thrice as a guest. Pero one day lang.”