They don’t call Erap ‘Bionic Man’ for nothing

Bionic in so many ways.

With his new titanium knees, detained President Joseph Estrada can now enjoy a better sex life than in the years before his surgery last December, his United States-based knee surgeon said yesterday.

"I advised him to return to his normal life," Dr. Christopher Mow replied when asked whether the 68-year-old deposed leader — a known womanizer — could still have sex since he is still recovering from his knee replacement operation.

Mow admitted that the issue of sex "came up in the discussion" with Estrada when they were about to perform the operation in Hong Kong, which he said is a "normal" concern of all patients, both male and female.

"Most patients ask me about that (their sex life). It is normal for them to raise this concern. It is natural, an important part of life," said Mow, who was at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan yesterday to update the media regarding Estrada’s medical condition.

Mow said he advised Estrada to abstain from sex for "three months after the surgery," which meant he should have only resumed his sex life by the "end of March."

Asked if his patient complied with the three-month abstention period, the Stanford-based surgeon smiled and said, "As doctors, we can only tell our patients what to do."

Estrada had been bragging that both his knees are stronger because they are now made of titanium. During the celebration of his mother Mary Ejercito’s 100th birthday, the former actor even called himself "bionic man," referring to the titanium replacements.

Mow said Estrada is "recovering very well" based on a visit to the latter’s rest house in Tanay, Rizal, where he has been detained since July 2004.

"He’s progressing quite well. He’s recovering very well, four and a half months after the surgery. He gets his therapy once or twice a day. He’s experiencing a small amount of pain but it is normal," Mow said. "It does not affect his overall health."

Mow also said the 15-hectare property on which the rest house stands is a good place for Estrada to recover and undergo rehabilitation for his knees, which doctors will continue to monitor until the last week of June to "make sure there are no complications."

"Tanay is a very good location for him. It has a lot of fresh air. He can walk around the property. It’s a pretty hilly place, too," Mow said. "Now, he is able to walk around quite well, get up and down the stairs without assistance."

He added that at this point, Estrada is out of danger and has no need for another knee operation.