The wealthy, Filipino-Chinese teenage hostage of the Abu Sayyaf Group said enduring the harsh existence in the mountain with her captors gave her a social conscience and increased her sense of value for her family.

"I saw it, especially (the group's desire to be their own masters to change their lives and the) poverty in the mountains," said Lalaine Chua, 15, who was released by the Abu Sayyaf Group earlier, but had to walk for several days to freedom without food for two days.

In a radio interview, the transcript of which was sent to various agencies, Chua said she understood her captors' desire to empower their fellow Muslims so that they could rule in their own homeland in the southern Philippines.

She described Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Abu Sabaya as a man with "a word of honour'. Noting how she and other female hostages were assisted when they walked at night in the rugged terrain in Basilan, southern Philippines, she said, "they used a towel, they held one end and I held the other end, to guide me."

Muslims are allowed to touch the hands only of their wives, she explained. She and the other female hostages were ordered to cover their heads.

All the hostages were allowed to bathe in the river. They were given toothpaste and toothbrushes, and were "treated like visitors", said Chua.

"In the mountains you have to eat even if you don't want to. At one time, I had two tablespoons of sugar for an entire day. Sometimes, rice and salt. We were lucky if we had dried fish. Life is difficult in the mountains," Chua said, adding she drank rainwater or coconut juice whenever she was thirsty.

Showing no signs of trauma, Chua said, "I'm getting on with my life. I'm going back to school. I came to know myself, that I can endure (a harsh life). I'm more confident now. I'm more practical now.

"I also learned to appreciate my family more. Before, I believe I took my family for granted. I think I did not even make an extra effort to show my love for them. I never asked if I really loved them," she said.

There was a time when she lost all hope of returning to her family, but this made her worry for her family all the more, prompting her to ask, "What will happen if I cannot return. What will happen to Papa, Mama, and my siblings?"