( CNN ) -- It was over seven months ago , but Antonio Plaza Orozco clearly remembers when he was struck by the butt of the AK-47 and feeling the heat of the gunman 's breath as he hissed : `` I will cut your neck , I will throw you overboard . '' Orozco was the senior crewman aboard the Mattheos 1 when it was boarded by nearly a dozen pirates off the west coast of Africa . When the leader of the pirates asked for the highest ranking crewman , Orozco stepped forward only to be kicked and beaten . Orozco , who had been a seafarer for 22 of his 52 years of life , believed he was about to die . For eleven days the multi-national crew of 25 , including 14 Filipinos , were held hostage , but thankfully their lives were spared . During those difficult days Orozco thought back to a simple eight-hour training course he took at the Philippine Transmarine Carriers . The course was a simple one involving simulations and classroom sessions that focused on dangers at sea , including surviving a hostage situation . That course is mandatory for all seafarers by the Philippine government . A third of all international seafarers are Filipino , which also makes them the largest group of hostages at sea . `` I remember , make friends with ( the pirates ) , '' says Orozco . `` Do n't make war . Be friends with them . `` Everyday I say , 'My brother , my brother , please do n't kill us . Please , I have family also . My son is in school . ' One of the pirates , I think he 's a Christian , so we make a bible study . '' Those odd moments of a Catholic hostage studying the bible with his pirate captor , is what Orozco believes led to his and his crew 's survival . On September 24th , eleven days after their ordeal began , the pirates took as much cargo and money as they could carry and took off . Orozco credits the anti-piracy course for his survival , but the Philippine Seafarer 's Union , the country 's second largest union of seafarers , says the course is simply not enough . `` Anti-piracy training is not totally the solution , '' said union head Melchor Villanueva . The union believes what 's really needed is a naval escort or private armed security on-board . The union readily admits the Philippine 's navy is too poorly financed to even consider a naval escort for every citizen at sea , but wants the vessels ' country of origin to provide the protection . The union knows that it 's an empty call to action , asking other governments to protect foreign workers aboard ships in international waters . What the union wo n't do is urge its members to stop working at sea , even in the regions where pirates readily take seafarers hostage . The reason is that life at sea pays far better than a job on Philippine soil : 40 % of Filipinos live on less than two dollars a day , while the starting salary for seafarers like Orozco is $ 1,500 a month . Thirty-year-old Reydomingo Nuval was on the same ship as Orozco , and says he will go back to sea because he needs to support his family . `` Going abroad as a Filipino , it 's better . The salary there , we can not find here . So by going abroad , you can easily build up your dreams , have a house , own a car , support your family and send your kids to a good school . '' `` If I get hurt , it 's a part of life , '' he adds .
One third of all seafarers on international vessels are from the Philippines . Perils of being taken hostage or killed by pirates a very real threat . Those who have survived hostage situation say they will return to the sea . Pay for sailors is far higher than for many in the Philippines .