MANILA, Philippines - Two years after he began his sabbatical from the mainstream entertainment scene, comedian Jon Santos appears he hasn?t lost his touch.

?Fortunately, I?m not in the modeling industry,? Jon quips about his return to show biz. ?I can grow old and I can grow white hair and I can lose my high school hips.?

He also observes the obvious. ?Ang nagugulat ako, Dominic Ochoa is a parent. Isko Moreno has white hair in a soap. My batchmates are doing mother roles. Agot (Isidro) is the mother of Angel (Locsin in ABS-CBN?s ?Lobo?). How cool.?

Jon seems to be enjoying his return. His last foray in ABS-CBN was the cooking show ?Sarap TV,? and in ABC-5, the satirical lunge-at-politics ?Ispup.? What has he done since?

Low-key career

?I was Ortigas-based. Ortigas ang tirahan, Ortigas ang trabaho, I didn?t even drive,? Jon tells Inquirer Entertainment, stressing that he had maintained an active yet low-key career as an entertainer. ?There were tours, concerts, there was (the Bobby Garcia-directed) ?Dogeaters? and corporate shows out of the country that really don?t get publicized.?

He also didn?t abandon film projects in his respite. He appeared in Mario Cornejo?s ?Big Time? in 2005, Denisa Reyes and Mark Gary?s ?Hubad? in 2006 and Lino Tañada?s ?Hanggang Dito Na Lamang at Maraming Salamat? in 2007.

?There were a lot of traveling and a lot of setting up of the household,? Jon says, referring to his real-life role as better half of life partner West Stewart, an Italian-American industrialist involved in local renewable energy ventures.

Jon and West tied the knot last Aug. 5, 2005 in a civil ceremony at the North York Family Court in Toronto, Canada. They met seven months earlier at a party hosted by fellow comic Tessie Tomas.

?It redefined family for me,? Jon said. ?The family you set up and create yourself. Even up to now, I?m still in awe of the concept.?

Asked what he considers the best about his union with West, he relates, ?Monogamy, laughter, stability, growing old together in health and bringing out the best in each other. It?s really so simple. You just plunge right in and embrace the concept.?

How about his ?in-laws?? ?I just got some new recipes from my mother-in-law,? Jon reveals. ?Secret recipes that she wouldn?t even share with her other in-laws.?

Jon?s joyous hiatus indeed worked wonders for him, his outlook in life and, now, his comeback. The comic known for his stand-up performances and impersonations is set to sink his teeth in a type of character considered a radical departure from his usual parodies?that of Dr. Jerry Donasco, a stern-looking and ?straight? hospital medical director, in the upcoming ABS-CBN ?nurserye,? ?Humingi Ako Sa Langit,? which stars an ensemble cast led by Judy Ann Santos.

In working on this character, Jon says, ?you embrace it, you suck it up.?

?It made me pick up my acting books again,? Jon notes. ?I do know that I have to tone down everything, because I?m always larger than life in my stage shows.?

Jon says he has previously worked with most of the people in the production, including director Andoy Ranay and some members of the creative team. ?They probably know that I can pretty much stay professional, show up, do my homework. A lot of them, naka-trabaho ko na in non-comic roles.?

Famous acts

But Jon won?t abandon the satire act that made him famous, which includes famous takes on former President Fidel Ramos, and Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, ?basta hindi ko lang daw agawin si Ralph.?

Jon is also included in yet another ensemble cast of comics, including Candy Pangilinan, John Lapus, Pooh, Pokwang, Kim, Vice Ganda and Kaye Brosas in ?Da Spooftacular Showdown? from Nov. 7 to Dec. 6 at the Music Museum.

?I?m happy with the return of satire in live shows especially since the presidential elections are nearing,? Jon says.

But his biggest wish is a boob-tube reunion with Willie Nepomuceno, his co-star in ?Ispup.? ?And a TV show that will raise eyebrows anew,? he added.