Florencio ‘Entoy’ Escabas, founder and owner of Mang Entoy’s Bakasihan in Cordova town. | Screenshot from Netflix’s Street Food – Asia
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Florencio ‘Entoy’ Escabas, founder and owner of Mang Entoy’s Bakasihan in Cordova town, has passed away, his daughter confirmed.
Ginalyn Escabas – Tura, in an interview with CDN Digital on Monday, June 22, 2020, said her father succumbed to acute coronary syndrome last June 15, 2020 in a private hospital in Lapu-Lapu City.
He was 72-years-old.
“My father died around 2 a.m. on June 15… He was rushed to the hospital (in Lapu-Lapu City) on June 14 after complaining of chest pain,” Tura said in Cebuano.
“He was already diagnosed with heart enlargement a long time ago. He was taking maintenance medicines to alleviate the pain. It came as a shock for us considering that he really looked healthy and full of energy before he died, and we even celebrated together our late mother’s birthday last June 12,” she added.
The story of Mang Entoy as a fisherman and his small-scale bakasihan (reef-eel stew in English) in Barangay Buagsong, Cordova town in Mactan Island was featured in Netflix’s Street Food- Asia documentary in 2019.
READ MORE: Mayor Sitoy-Cho to Director Matti: Visit Cordova, let’s eat bakasi together
His legacy virtually placed Cordova, a third-class municipality in Mactan Island, on the world’s street food map, and led to bakasi’s popularity in mainstream culture.
Tura said their family will always remember how Mang Entoy helped introduced their local cuisine not only to the entire country but also to the world.
“He may be gone but our very own specialty called Bakasi here in Barangay Buagsong has made a mark on the Philippines’ exotic food culture,” Tura said.
Tura added that even if her father is no longer with them, their family will continue to run his bakasihan amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Mang Entoy’s Bakasihan will remain open and we will do our best it will stay that way even if our mother and father are no longer with us,” she said.
The 38-year-old daughter of Mang Entoy also said they are grateful for the support coming from all sectors of the community, both here and abroad. /bmjo