Monkey Man!

I was riding an Ikot jeep last week on my way to the Main Lib. The jeep passed through C.P. Garcia, the road that goes straight to Katipunan. Suddenly, the driver stopped the jeep in front of a sari-sari store along the road. He ordered Sarsi from the tindera. Feeling drive-thru. Now, I didn't really notice the whole thing because I thought that he stopped because this peculiar-looking man was blocking the way on the road.

It was Monkey Man.

Monkey Man, as I have dubbed him based on a character in Hey Arnold!, was a poor, skinny fellow dressed as a superhero. Out of scrap pieces of cloth, our modern-day urban warrior fashioned a pathetically respectable superhero costume. He cut out eyeholes on a piece of cloth and wore this as his headgear. He took a dirty, starched, green cloth and used it as a cape. He also wore the signature superhero grin on his face. If I remember correctly, I think he even had gloves.

At first, I was terrified. Upon sight of him, I secretly clutched my Bronco self-defense spray in my bag. You never know. He's mental for crying out loud! He was throwing punches at the electric post! How was I sure he wasn't going to suddenly grab me from the jeepney window, thinking I was the reincarnation of his arch-nemesis, Dr. Doom?

Although I was scared at that moment, I now look back at that incident with laughter and fondness. I don't know if he's really harmless, but he was a sight to behold. Apparently, Monkey Man is a common sighting for Ateneans who take that route. They've already dubbed him as "Batman." I don't know about you, but I refuse to call him "Batman." Bruce Wayne was the sole heir to the Wayne family fortune, allowing him access to the finest and most hi-tech gadgets around. Hey Arnold!'s Monkey Man, however, had nothing but his undying passion to fight crime and banish evil from the city streets...and a verbal twitch.

So, if you happen to pass through C.P. Garcia and see a strange bozo walking around in a homemade costume, you now know that it's not a bird. It's not a plane. It's Monkey Man.