MANILA, Philippines??They only wanted money,? was how Capt. Romulo Buhayang, spokesperson of the 14 freed Filipino crew members of Malaysian tankers MT Bunga Melati 2 and MT Bunga Melati 5, summed up their 41-day captivity in the hands of Somali pirates.

?I was the only one talking to the pirates. They said they only wanted money. They said they didn?t want to start a war,? Buhayang said in a press conference Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) after their arrival from Malaysia.

The seamen were welcomed by Vice President Noli de Castro, who is also the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers.

Government officials, the Malaysian shipping agency Misc Berhad and its local manning counterpart, Parola Maritime Agency Corp. also welcomed the OFWs.

Buhayang, 52, said ?at the beginning, it was not so bad.? He said they ate the ship?s provisions during the first 30 days of their captivity. Then the pirates started feeding them rice and nothing else.

Life on the ship became difficult, said Buhayang, a seaman of 31 years. All the doors on the ship were guarded by heavily armed pirates and the crew were not allowed to move around.

Prayers helped

Chief Engineer Benito Adecer said prayers kept their spirits up.

Buhayang and Adecer were two of the nine Filipino crew of the MT Bunga Melati 2 that was hijacked on Aug. 19. The other seamen were Ariel Obja-an, Rodolfo Buinanao Jr., Macario Pacione III, Ronan Maranan, Rading Maguan, Lee Andrew Sitjar and Eleonor Madriga.

Another seaman, Jason Dumagat, 26, died instantly when one of the nine pirates who boarded their ship fired a warning shot. Buhayang said the bullet hit the ceiling but it ricocheted and hit Dumagat in the face. His remains were received by his relatives and government officials at the cargo section of the airport.

82 more captives

On the other hand, the MT Bunga Melati 5, which was seized by pirates days later, had five Filipino crew members on board, namely, Eduardo Lasprillas, Aldrin Palomo, Manuel America Jr., Rhageb Salabao and Ulyseise Maguslong.

At least 82 more Filipino seamen on six different ships are still being held captive by Somali pirates.

While the returning OFWs were not sure if ransom had been paid for their release, a Malaysian official of their shipping agency confirmed that money changed hands for both ships.