MANILA, Philippines ? It?s a pleasant change of pace for stand-up comic Jon Santos.

?For the first time, I experienced having a show that ran for more than four nights,? he said.

Actually, his latest one-man show entitled ?Kuring, Gluring, Syerrap at Dyuning: Eleksyon is Nearing, for Voter or for Worse,? has been running for the past five months, marking 13 shows since its opening on September 5, at the Teatrino in Greenhills.

Now, repeats are set on January 13 and 20, 29 and 30, also at Teatrino. There?s even talk of performances in March and a tour in April.

It wouldn?t be far-fetched for Santos to work on the day of the election itself in May 2010.

?I?ve actually done that in 2007 for ?Rock da Vote,? in spite of the liquor ban,? he recalled.

Quite tellingly, he has campaigned for only one politician in his entire career: his ?eternal favorite,? actress-turned-Batangas Governor Vilma Santos.

?I joined her first campaign as mayor of Lipa, Batangas, in 1998. I actually performed for her in a wedding dress on a flat-bed truck,? he recalled.

No other politician has dared to hire him since ? whether as Gluring, Dyuning, Kuring or Jon.

His current fave is Dyuning because his act as the mother of Wapakman allows him ?to break into dance.?

?It?s not just a monologue; it?s a full production number ? complete with backup dancers! And she represents the simple Filipino whose dreams came true. I think that?s why Dyuning is also the most frequently requested character when I do corporate shows,? he said.

He has met the real Dyuning, backstage in ?Wowowee? at the ABS-CBN studios.

?I was dressed as Ate Vi, the Star for All Seasonings then,? he related. ?Mommy Dionisia was very friendly. She smiled and touched my blouse, saying: ?Ang ganda ng tila! (What a beautiful fabric!)??

Doing public figures in a time of calamity and campaigning keeps the comic on his feet.

Constant revision is the key and the script needs to be as fluid and unpredictable as the headlines.

?You have to be flexible. It has happened when we had to revise on the eve of opening night,? he acknowledged. ?It?s part of the game. It?s part of the challenge.?

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One solution, he said, ?is to work with a good team of writers backed by an equally reliable band of lawyers.?

His formula has worked and he has dodged libel suits thus far, he said. ?Everyone has been a good sport so far. The best comment I?ve ever heard was from a lawyer from Bulacan who said that, the morning after watching my show, he woke up laughing.?

He conceded that he mines the news, especially election-related headlines, for material.

?It?s a gold mine,? he noted.

It?s just that there are some topics he wouldn?t touch with a ten-foot pole. ?A friend once told me that comedy is tragedy plus timing. Some topics are simply untouchable. In particular, I can?t joke about the Maguindanao massacre. It?s way too painful. US-based comedians had the same dilemma after 9-11.?

But some issues, and politicians, are punch lines waiting to happen, he admitted. ?For example, some nuisance candidates can be classified as just plain nuisance,? he quipped.

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