Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Batman

A mysterious man hopped inside the jeepney which I was riding this morning. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of worn out denim shorts. His zipper was open, by the way. :))

What's interesting with this old man, who's probably in his late 50's, is that he started introducing himself and his job (to everyone) the moment he got settled in the jeep.

The man identified himself as Juanito "Batman" Yap (Yeah, Batman is for real). According to him, he's a "mestisong intsik" (I hate that word), who lives in Tondo (behind Puregold) and performs healing for a living. He claims the he can cure all kinds of illness, as long as your are not allergic to his medicine (LOL).

His "magical" medicine, which we shall call the "Bat-Ointment", is a yellowish cream like substance in a small glass container. The "Bat-Ointment" seemed like a familiar Chinese ointment that is used to heal burn injuries. He claims that the "Bat-Ointment" is very effective.

He's also selling some homemade solutions made from a mixture of water, "tawas" (alum), and a special medicine. The said solution can help people with body odor problems. He also carries a folder board with prices on it, similar to the ones we often see with printer ink buyers. Amazingly, he tested the solution on animals like cats, dogs, and chicken. :D

People call him "Batman" because he loves helping others, that's what he claimed. Before we reached Rizal Avenue, he told us that he can also cure diabetes (w/ money back guarantee), and that there is no need for amputation. :)

I wanted to continue listening to his stories but the jeep has already reached Rizal Avenue. I jumped out of the jeep with some hanging questions on my mind:

Why is "Batman's" zipper open? Did Robin forget to close it?

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