Mayor Sitoy-Cho to Director Matti: Visit Cordova, let’s eat bakasi together

Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho of Cordova town says she wants film director Erik Matti to visit Cordova and eat bakasi together with her. | Futch Anthony Inso

CORDOVA, Philippines — Cordova Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho is inviting film director Erik Matti to visit the town and have a taste of their delicacy, the bakasi, which was earlier featured by Netflix.

Earlier, Cebuanos got angry at Matti, after he described the Netflix Street Food Asia in Cebu episode as having “bordered on poverty porn.”

Read more: Epic fail, bad research: Erik Matti and Joey Javier Reyes on Cebu episode of Street Food Asia  

After hearing that Matti would visit Cebu tomorrow (May 4) to promote a movie, Cho said that she would like to invite Matti in town so that they could eat bakasi together.

“I don’t have anything against him but magsinuportahay lang ta,” said Cho in an interview in Gabi Resort in Cordova town.

(I don’t have anything against him, but let us just support each other.)

She admitted that the statement of Matti was very offensive not just for the Cordovahanons, but as well as to Cebuanos who supported the bakasi industry in the town.

“But I don’t demand (for him to give a public apology), but I hope he will do and ang akoa lang, magka-amiga mi (for me, let us just be friends),” she added.

Read more: Netizens react to Erik Matti and Joey Javier’s comments on Cebu episode of Street Food Asia

She also clarified that when Netflix had featured the bakasi, it only represented the province of Cebu and not the whole Philippines.

For her, featuring the bakasi in that episode of Netflix is only appropriate, as many Cebuanos have patronized the delicacy, especially for those who came from far places and had visited Cordova just to eat the bakasi.

“Even si Presidente Rodrigo Duterte nikaon man gani ani kadtong nibisita siya sa Cordova,” she said.

(Even President Rodrigo Duterte ate bakasi when he visited Cordova.)

Cho added that during their Dinagat festival in the month of August, the municipal government had also allocated an activity just to promote the bakasi.

Read more: Street dance is crowd drawer at Dinagat Festival

“We are featuring a food festival, where all 13 barangays ang moluto og lain-laing putahe sa bakasi (will cook a variety of bakasi dishes),” Cho added.

Read more: Chai Fonacier speaks out on Cebu Street Food issue

Florencio Escabas says since the Street food episode on bakasi came out on Netflix, foreigners have also started to visit his carenderia to eat his bakasi dishes. | Futch Anthony Inso

Florencio Escabas or also known as “Entoy,” who was featured in Netflix and has been cooking stewed bakasi since 1986, also appealed to Matti to give his support instead of criticizing the cooking show.

“Ang ako lang no, hinaot unta Pilipino man ta, maghiusa unta ta. Kay dili ra man ni akong dungog ang pagluto sa bakasi nga naingon-ani ni sa tibuok kalibutan. Kitang mga Pilipino usa sa akong gipasalamatan kay wala tay gipili nga pagkaon basta makaayo lang,” Escabas said.

(For me, I hope that since we are Filipinos we should help each other. Because it is not only my honor in cooking bakasi to be known in the whole world. We Filipinos are what we should thank since we don’t choose what we eat.)

He also told Matti that when he agreed to be featured at Netflix, it did not necessarily mean that he was being boastful about his food, because his customers were the only ones who could describe and criticize it.

Aside from stewing bakasi, the 71-year-old Escasmas also cooks the delicacy through frying or boiling it with spices.

Escasbas owns a small carenderia in Barangay Buagsong in the town.

“Mosuway siyag ari ug kaon diri (He should try to come here and eat our bakasi dish),” he said, adding that the bakasi were not only patronized by ordinary individuals, but even rich personalities.

Since the bakasi was featured in Netflix, he said that foreigners had started visiting his eatery, which included Singaporeans, Chinese, Bazilians and Vietnamese nationals.

He said that during weekdays, their carenderia was able to sold around 15 kilograms of bakasi per day and around 30 kilograms of bakasi every Saturday and Sunday or during weekends./dbs