The horrific experience of escaping a beheading attempt was recounted by Eldrin Morales, the security guard at Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan, south-western Philippines, by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan, southern Philippines.

He finally spoke about his harrowing experience, following a week of treatment at suburban Quezon city's V-Luna Hospital. Morales said the incident began when he and some other hostages, including Abu Sayyaf spokesman, Abu Sabaya, were walking along a paved road in Tuburan, Basilan, early June. When they saw a jeep, they were told to get on board. He and some of his companions had to walk because all could not fit in the small vehicle.

"One of the bandits then told me to remove my jacket. It was cold. When we reached a road, I was tied up and was made to sit down. Then one of the Abu Sayyaf members told me, 'Your time is near'," recalled Morales.

"My companion was also tied up. Then I heard him scream. Suddenly, I felt something sharp on the nape of my neck. I fell to the ground and felt my body shake. Then I again felt a large blade slicing through the same cut in my neck. I was convulsing when a hand touched my feet," said Morales. "I could not run. I fell on the side of the road. My body shook. I couldn't see a thing since my face was buried in the mud. I played dead," he recalled in horror.

The next day soldiers found him and rushed him to Zamboanga for medical treatment. He was later flown to Manila. Recalling the hostage-taking at Dos Palmas, Morales noted: "The kidnappers entered at 5.15 a.m. and everything was over by 5.27. A speed boat with three engines took the hostages to Cagayan de Tawi-tawi, near Sulu, which was almost 300 kilometres away from Palawan."

Noting how the kidnappers had eluded arrest in Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi, Morales said: "We travelled by day and anchored by night until we reached Basilan (in Mindanao). For a while, we kept our distance from the residents and the military.

"We hid among the hills, resting for one night. Then we moved again. At around midnight, we saw a light being flashed by some supporters. That was when we docked. We were brought down one by one, including the 10 fishermen from the boat who were also taken hostage. We walked until we reached a rocky area where there were huts with tunnels and bunkers," Morales continued his description of how they entered Basilan.

"We rested there. We were given mats and told to lie down. At about 5 in the morning, we were told to walk on the mountainside. There were Abu Sayyaf bandits on hammocks when we reached a certain area," Morales narrated.

"A few hours later, there was an encounter with the military. We were tied up together about one metre apart from each other. We were then led to a mountain area," recalled Morales. "We were never freed. When we were untied, it was to get us on board a jeep."

When President Gloria Arroyo saw Morales being carried out of the C-130 plane and laid down on the tarmac on June 3, she recalled being shocked because he appeared to be dead.