Aid worker missing in Philippines



In 1990, the NPA seized Peace Corps volunteer Timothy Swanson and held him for nearly two months on central Negros island, according to the Associated Press. Swanson was released unharmed after 50 days to the Red Cross after the late Roman Catholic Bishop Antonio Fortich helped negotiate his release, according to the AP. In June of 1990, the U.S. government ordered the evacuation of Peace Corps workers from the Philippines after receiving intelligence that rebels may try to kill or kidnap them, according to the AP. By that time, Swanson already was in rebel hands.

Aid worker missing in Philippines

U.S.: Aid worker missing in Philippines

POSTED: 11:54 a.m. EDT, April 14, 2007

(CNN) -- A search is under way for a U.S. aid worker missing for nearly a week in the northern Philippines, the U.S. Embassy in Manila told CNN on Saturday.

U.S. authorities are seeking information on Julia Campbell, a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer last seen on Easter Sunday in the town of Banaue in Ifugao province, said embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop.

Campbell had planned to hike alone on April 8 in a hilly region near Batad, Lussenhop said. The area, about 260 kilometers (163 miles) north of Manila, is famed for its mountain rice terraces, Lussenhop said.

The communist New People's Army (NPA) also operates in the region, Lussenhop confirmed.

U.S. Embassy security officials are working with local police and Peace Corps authorities to find Campbell.

Campbell is a former journalist and has served as a college teacher in Legazpi, in southern Luzon since she began her Peace Corps service in the Philippines in March 2005.

Campbell, 40, is white with blonde hair, wears eyeglasses, is 1.7 meters tall (5 feet, 7 inches) and weighs 58 kilograms, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy.

Anyone who has seen Campbell since April 8, or who may have information on her movements or current location, should contact John Borja, safety and security officer of the Peace Corps in the Philippines, at 00 (63) 0920-900-5270, or contact the U.S. Embassy in Manila, at 00 (63) 02 528-6300.

There are currently 137 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Philippines, according to the U.S. Embassy in that country. More than 8,000 volunteers have served in the Philippines since 1961 - the second oldest Peace Corps program in the world, according to the embassy statement.

In 1990, the NPA seized Peace Corps volunteer Timothy Swanson and held him for nearly two months on central Negros island, according to the Associated Press. Swanson was released unharmed after 50 days to the Red Cross after the late Roman Catholic Bishop Antonio Fortich helped negotiate his release, according to the AP.

In June of 1990, the U.S. government ordered the evacuation of Peace Corps workers from the Philippines after receiving intelligence that rebels may try to kill or kidnap them, according to the AP. By that time, Swanson already was in rebel hands.

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: April, 2007; Peace Corps Philippines; Directory of Philippines RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Philippines RPCVs; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Journalism

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