Tribal folk mourn death of US Peace Corps volunteer

BY DAN B. CODAMON AND ALFRED DIZON

BANAUE, Ifugao – Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell of Fairfax, Virginia, US, who disappeared on April 8 while hiking here near Barangay Battad may have left for the Great Beyond but for those whose lives she touched, the vibrant humanitarian would always be in their hearts.

Tribal folk mourned her death even as local officials cited the contributions Campbell did to make the province and other sites in the Philippines better places to stay in through her work.

Campbell’s body is now interred in a Makati funeral parlor awaiting the arrival of US forensic experts to conduct an autopsy.

This, as Cordillera Regional police director Chief Supt. Raul Gonzales said Campbell could have been a victim of foul play citing robbery as motive.

US Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter, along with the U.S. Embassy in Manila, confirmed her death after search parties discovered her body buried in a cliff near a creek and below a pathway near Batad, Banaue on Thursday.

Campbell and other Peace Corps personnel arrived in Banaue from Sagada, Mountain Province on April 8. On same date, the other Peace Corps members left for Manila while Campbell stayed behind saying she would follow the next day as she made a bus reservation for the trip.

At about 2 p.m. the same day, Campbell proceeded to Batad aboard a tricycle and was last seen at about 5 p.m. at the viewpoint of the barangay by a store owner who served her soft drinks.
Search and rescue operation began on April 13 by police, civilians and tourist guides who scoured the precipices of the area and two other adjacent barangays but with negative results.

On April 15, two helicopters from the Philippine Air Force also joined in the search and rescue operation together with the Philippine Army and US Embassy personnel who arrived under Jake Wohlman.

The manhunt continued the next day but since the missing American couldn’t be located, a conference was held presided by personnel of the US Embassy who presented a tactical and intensive search and rescue plan.

On April 17, Cordillera Police Regional Director Raul Gonzales came to the province with two police choppers and conducted aerial surveillance in the area.

He was later joined by US Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschtter, Philippine Peace Corps Director Carl Beck and Deputy Chief of Mission Paul Jones who monitored the development of the search and rescue activity.

On April 18, the body of the victim was found which was verified by American Embassy people to be that of Campbell.

After some hours of hesitation whether to dig the cadaver, the US Embassy personnel gave permission to exhume and retrieve the body of the victim while awaiting the arrival of a forensic expert and pathologists they called to determine the cause of her death.

The forensic expert was scheduled to come from Japan while the two pathologists will come from the USA to conduct the autopsy.

Even though there was no finding yet of the cause of death of the victim, there was strong indication that Campbell was a victim of foul play as she was buried in a concealed place.
Even assuming that she fell, the height of the cliff cannot cause her death, local folk said.
Ifugao Police Provincial Commander Senior Supt. Pedro Ganir recommended exhaustive investigation to determine cause of her death.

Campbell’s body was still being autopsied in Manila at press time.

Peace Corps Director Tschetter, who was in the Philippines expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said in a press statement.

“The U.S. Peace Corps is saddened by the loss of such a dedicated and vibrant volunteer, who so loved this country. Our hearts go out to her family and friends in the United States.”

The press statement said Campbell was reported missing on April 11 after failing to show up for several appointments. She was last seen on April 8 in the Banaue area. She reportedly intended to hike in a hilly area near Batad, 1.5 kilometers east of Banaue town, and was unaccompanied.

Supt. Joseph Adnol, Cordillera police spokesman said Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Calderon earlier directed Cordillera police commander Chief Supt. Raul Gonzales to activate the region’s Crisis Management Committee to ensure coordinated police and civilian search and rescue efforts.

Adnol said there was no indication that New People’s Army rebels were behind Campbell’s disappearance.

“We are looking into possible accident or crime angle,” he said.

Adnol said the Ifugao Police’s Provincial Mobile Groups earlier fanned out to several barangays in Batad, where Campbell was last seen.

Tschetter had traveled to the Banaue area with U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Paul W. Jones on April 17 to meet with American and Filipino authorities involved in the search.

The Peace Corps and U.S. Embassy expressed their deep gratitude to the Filipino people for their assistance in the search.

“The search efforts organized by the Philippine National Police were incredible,” said Chargé Jones in a press statement. “Thank you to the PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the local and provincial governments in the Banaue area, and the many local guides and volunteers who spent countless hours searching for Julia in difficult terrain. The American people are very thankful for your friendship during this difficult time.”

Tschetter and Chargé Jones met with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday to thank her for the partnership and efforts of the Filipino people in searching for Campbell.

President Arroyo along with Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo, Secretary of National Defense Hermogenes Ebdane, and Calderon, committed their full support to the investigation.
Campbell served in ecological and educational projects in Southern Luzon since she began her Peace Corps service in the Philippines in March 2005.

There are 136 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the country. More than 8,000 Volunteers have served in the Philippines since 1961, making it the second oldest Peace Corps program in the world.

Meanwhile, the US embassy released a statement on behalf of Campbell’s family: “Today, we learned the news that our Julia was found. We are so very grateful to the workers and searchers who worked diligently to look for and find our daughter, sister and friend. In addition to the Peace Corps, we would like to thank the Philippine National Police, the Philippine government and the people of the Philippines, especially those in Baranguay Batad, Banaue for the outpouring of support and assistance in the search.

“The U.S. Peace Corps and our U.S. Embassy leadership, personnel and especially the Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines have been of great comfort to our family during this difficult time. Director Ron Tschetter and his team exemplify the sense of community Julia loved about the Peace Corps; they have and continue to show great concern for Julia and our family.

“During the past two years Julia has been on assignment in the Philippines, she served in various roles in the village of Donsol (province of Sorsogon) where she worked with the local school there to rebuild and stock the school library. Since childhood, Julia was an avid reader who enjoyed great literary works; “Sophie’s Choice” was one of her favorites.

“Many of her friends and family helped her in a campaign she created to provide age-appropriate reading materials to the library in a project she called "A Book and A Buck".
Through her efforts, she collected more than 500 titles. Julia, a passionate yoga instructor and vegetarian, also worked with the local community to launch an ecology awareness campaign and instrumental in building an Eco Center in Donsol. Most recently, she served as a teacher at the Divine Word College in Legaspi city, where she taught English.

“In her forty years, Julia lived a very full life. She loved her family and friends and is much loved. She was passionate in her journalism reporting especially the stories involving people who were able to stand and address adversity or adverse situations.

“We have every confidence that the U.S. and Philippine authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into Julia’s untimely death. Plans are still in development for a memorial service in Fairfax County, Virginia where our family lives.”