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Saturday, April 20, 2007
Campbell was robbed, killed: police
* American volunteer's body arrives in Manila for autopsy, DNA test
* Palace assures US of full cooperation in probe on Campbell's death
* Justice chief says Campbell to blame for what befell her
MANILA -- Police are looking at robbery as the motive for the killing of US Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell whose body was recovered in a creek in Ifugao on Wednesday.
Chief Superintendent Raul Gonzales, director of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) police office, said a witness to the alleged robbery has surfaced.
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Gonzales said the robbery angle appears to be the most likely motive although forensic experts have yet to conclude their examination on Campbell's body.
Campbell's remains arrived at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City at around 2 p.m. Thursday.
The volunteer, who was found dead more than a week after she was declared missing, was brought to the Loyola Memorial Center morgue in Guadalupe, Makati City for an autopsy. PNP forensic expert Joselito Rodrigo will conduct the autopsy to determine if Campbell was a victim of crime or "foul play."
But US Embassy spokesperson Matthew Lussenhop said the autopsy would be done as soon as US experts arrive in the country. Lussenhop described Campbell's death as a "terrible tragedy."
Army soldiers last Wednesday morning found Campbell's buried body in Battad in Banaue with a foot protruding from the ground. She was wearing the same clothes - jeans and a shirt and a pair of eyeglasses - when found by the military.
"We have a witness who agreed to testify. We are processing the information we initially got from him," said Gonzales, who did not name the witness or reveal the testimony he has given to the police for security reasons.
It was not also clear if the witness identified those who planned to rob or robbed Campbell as Gonzales hoped that more witnesses would surface to help the police establish more leads in the case.
Gonzales said until the forensic examination was completed he could not say if Campbell was molested before she was slain since her body was already in an advanced state of decomposition when found.
US Peace Corps director Ronald Tschetter expressed his sorrow and thanked the Filipino people and government for their search efforts.
In the official Peace Corps website, Tschetter said "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. The US 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 Philippine government assured the US of its full cooperation in determining the circumstances that led to the death of Campbell.
"The President is saddened by the death of Ms. Campbell. It is unfortunate that a committed and selfless person, who has, based on the work she has done in Sorsogon, obviously grown to love our country, met a tragic end here," said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye in a statement.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said PNP Chief Oscar Calderon was instructed to ensure that the case would be solved soon. He said the police must conduct an intensive investigation to determine if there was foul play in Campbell's death.
He added that the case of Campbell is isolated as the Peace Corps have long been in the Philippines and it is only now that such an incident involving their volunteer happened.
Outspoken Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. said Campbell could be partly to blame for her own misfortune.
Gonzalez said based on initial findings of the police, foul play seemed to have attended Campbell's death. "I'm quite sure there was foul play there. Why was she buried that way? It appears that she was buried in haste, in shallow grave," he said.
Gonzalez said Campbell might have become careless when she decided to take a walk by herself in a remote mountain area.
"She was a little irresponsible. Why would she walk alone in this remote mountain? I think, kung may kasama yan (had she been accompanied by someone), it would not have happened. She was careless that she took a lonely walk in this deserted area," he said.
He said he has already alerted the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to help out in the technical aspects of the investigation but said the bureau will not interfere unless its assistance is sought. (VR/JMR/EV with Hannah Oliva and Bernadith Abonita/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (April 20, 2007 issue)
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