TACLOBAN CITY -- A 39-year-old farmer died after eating pufferfish or "butete" in Hinunangan, Southern Leyte last Wednesday.
The victim was identified as Dario Bacus of Barangay Union, Hinunangan.
Initial investigation revealed that on March 30, at about 7 p.m., the victim, together with his friends, brought more or less a kilogram of pufferfish.
 The victim cooked and ate it with his friends while watching television.Â
His brother Esteban  said Dario woke up and vomited at around 4 a.m. on March 31 and went back to sleep after drinking a cup of coffee.
The victim was then found lifeless on his bed on the second floor of his house.Â
Dr. Ellen Vega, the Municipal Health Officer of Hinunangan, declared that the victim's cause of death was cardio-respiratory failure, secondary to ingestion of pufferfish causing tetrodotoxin poisoning.
No signs of foul play have been observed during the post-mortem examination.