Misuari's wives granted visitation

The authorities have allowed the wives of former Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao governor Nur Misuari to visit him in prison, a privilege denied to a 'wife' of detained former president Joseph Estrada.

Although Misuari is known to have only three wives, the authorities said his four 'legal' wives would be permitted to see him in jail in Fort Santo Domingo, Carmona.

In contrast, Estrada's second common law wife, Guia Gomez, was denied entry to Estrada's detention centre in suburban Quezon City's Veterans Memorial Medical Centre.

"I feel bad about that," said Estrada, who is believed to have four official wives. Sources said he also has other 'unofficial wives' whose names were identified during his impeachment trial at the senate last year.

Being a Ramon Catholic, Estrada, under the law, can have conjugal visits only from his legal wife, Senator Loi Estrada.

Many Catholic Filipinos are believed to have common-law wives. This practice is followed here despite the emergence of modern, liberated Filipina women.

Earlier, when Estrada was arrested and charged with plunder, he jokingly said: "I am not only under house arrest. I am also under wife arrest."

His wife, Loi, left him to travel to the U.S. when he was still an actor and film producer, because of his philandering.

His second wife, Guia, was known as the first lady of suburban San Juan when he was mayor in the area from the late 60s until 1986.