A man died and 11 other members of at least seven families in Barangay Miputak, Dipolog City were hospitalized after sharing for dinner a poisonous fish locally called "botete."

Flora Escabas said her husband, Amado, died an hour after eating "sinabawang botete" on Thursday night.
 She said it was the second time she lost a husband because of the poisonous botete.

Joseph Florig, provincial head of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said botete or pufferfish is a very poisonous fish and preparing it is a very delicate process.

A Wikipedia entry said pufferfish is called fugu in Japan. It said the fugu dish is one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in the country.

A chef needs to gain a special license from the government before he is allowed to prepare or sell fugu to the public, the website added.

Escabas told ABS-CBN News that the fish was given to her husband as a gift.

She said it was her husband's favorite and he was one of the very few residents in their village who knows how to prepare the fish.

However, she said her husband was drunk when he cleaned and cooked the fish.

Escabas said they shared the dish to their neighbors or six other families. Authorities said a total of 12 people, including Escaba’s husband, were poisoned by the fish.

She said their bodies became weak and their mouths turned numb an hour after dinner. Her husband did not reach the hospital alive. With a report from Weng Espiritu, ABS-CBN Cagayan de Oro