National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) expresses its deepest sorrow over the death of U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell



“We are profoundly saddened and outraged that a human being who chose to start a new life in the Philippines ends up tragically in a shallow grave,” says NaFFAA Chair Alma Q. Kern. “We urge the Philippine government to vigorously follow through with its pledge to fully cooperate with U.S. authorities in finding out how she was killed and bringing the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.” Filipino Americans from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, where Ms. Campbell lived, are outraged and shocked. “We feel a deep, personal connection to Julia,” laments Marites Cardenas Branigin of Reston, Va. and a NaFFAA officer. “As a Peace Corps volunteer who loved the Philippines, Julia was very much involved in ecological and educational projects in Southern Luzon for more than two years. Before her untimely death, she also personally invested time and energy in assisting the typhoon victims in the Bicol region. We are grateful to the thousands of Peace Corps volunteers who have served the Philippines since 1961. Due in large measure to her selfless dedication to help the Filipino people, Julia represents the best traditions of the Peace Corps.”

National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) expresses its deepest sorrow over the death of U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell

FilAms mourn death of Peace Corps volunteer
Apr 25, 2007
THE National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) expresses its deepest sorrow over the death of U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell whose partially buried body was found two days ago in the village of Batad, Ifugao province.

“We are profoundly saddened and outraged that a human being who chose to start a new life in the Philippines ends up tragically in a shallow grave,” says NaFFAA Chair Alma Q. Kern. “We urge the Philippine government to vigorously follow through with its pledge to fully cooperate with U.S. authorities in finding out how she was killed and bringing the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.”

Filipino Americans from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, where Ms. Campbell lived, are outraged and shocked. “We feel a deep, personal connection to Julia,” laments Marites Cardenas Branigin of Reston, Va. and a NaFFAA officer. “As a Peace Corps volunteer who loved the Philippines, Julia was very much involved in ecological and educational projects in Southern Luzon for more than two years. Before her untimely death, she also personally invested time and energy in assisting the typhoon victims in the Bicol region. We are grateful to the thousands of Peace Corps volunteers who have served the Philippines since 1961. Due in large measure to her selfless dedication to help the Filipino people, Julia represents the best traditions of the Peace Corps.”

Police in the northern Philippines said Friday a man who lived close to where Campbell died is a suspect in the killing.

Officers are looking for a resident of Batad where Campbell went missing on April 8, said Superintendent Joseph Adnol.

A 10-year-old witness saw the suspect loitering at the site where the victim was last seen.

“We are also gathering some circumstantial evidences to support the testimony of the lone witness,” Adnol said.

Although the suspect has vanished from his home, “police here... already have an idea of where we can find him but we’re withholding that information,” he added.

The police are investigating reports that the suspect was seen carrying Campbell’s knapsack after she went missing.

President Gloria Arroyo’s spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said “the president is saddened by the death of Miss Campbell.”

“It is unfortunate that a committed and selfless person, who has... obviously grown to love our country, met a tragic end here,” Bunye said, citing Campbell’s work for the poor in areas east of the capital.

A former journalist, Campbell was on holiday and had come to the Batad area to see its world-famous rice terraces. She had been working as a teacher at a college in eastern Legaspi city.

Her body has been taken to Manila and is being kept in a refrigerated facility while awaiting the arrival of a U.S. forensics expert who will help local investigators in the autopsy.

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; Crime; Murder

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