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Saturday, April 21, 2007
Police hunt down suspect in Campbell's slay
* Arroyo tells authorities to ensure safety of other US Peace Corps members in RP
* American volunteer's death won't stop deployment to RP: embassy
MANILA -- Police on Friday said they have a suspect in the killing of US Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell.
Authorities, however, refused to identify the suspect until after the filing of charges and issuance of arrest warrant against him, said a radio station dzBB report.
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Reports said the suspect disappeared after the American national was reported missing last April 8.
Police said the suspect is believed to be the husband of a female masseuse identified as Maribel Payay, 37, who was contacted by Campbell for an appointment.
Cordillera Administrative Region Police Office (CARPO) spokesman Joseph Adnol said the suspect is a resident of Barangay Batad in Banaue.
PNP Chief Oscar Calderon has ordered a manhunt for the suspect.
He said investigators found a piece of wood stained with blood, believed to be used to kill Campbell, in a grassy area in Batad village, Banaue town in Ifugao province.
The recovery of the evidence showed that her assailant beat Campbell and that her death was not an accident, he added.
Calderon said the evidence will be preserved and to be submitted to the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
CARPO Director Raul Gonzales said more evidence and testimonies against the assailant are needed. They have already consulted prosecutors about the case, he said.
Gonzales said the only concrete evidence the police have against the assailant are the testimonies of children who saw the suspect carrying a backpack that looked the same as the one owned by Campbell.
The police said they also recovered a box containing Campbell's sandals, money, and transportation ticket near the spot where her body was found.
Gonzales said Campbell probably knew the assailant through a masseuse who knew the American volunteer. He said the assailant could be the masseuse's husband.
Calderon said Campbell was scheduled to have a massage on the last day she was seen alive. Campbell never made it to her early evening appointment. The masseuse and her husband were being considered "witnesses" and they have to be interviewed about their meeting with Campbell, he said.
At Malacañang, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered local authorities to ensure the safety of other Peace Corps volunteers in the country following the killing of Campbell.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said it is unfortunate that such an incident happened, especially since Campbell has already grown to love the Philippines, which she has served for the last two years.
Bunye, who is also Presidential spokesman, said Campbell is also well loved in the area where she is staying.
He shrugged off the statement of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. that Campbell may be partly at fault for what happened because she did not take a friend with her during her hike.
The US Embassy in Manila has assured that the deployment of US Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines would not be affected by the death of Campbell.
US Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop said the US Government is not pulling out its remaining volunteers in the Philippines merely because of the "terrible tragedy."
"Absolutely not, no pullout," said Lussenhop, who was among those who welcomed two military helicopters that transported Campbell's remains to Camp Crame on Thursday where the remains would be subjected to autopsy.
Lussenhop also said Philippine and US relations would not be strained by the incident. "No, I don't expect that," he said, adding that US is not adopting new measures to ensure the safety of its volunteers at present.
"Security for the Peace Corps volunteers and their safety is the highest priority and they (volunteers) do a lot of training for security, a lot of preparations. No specific changes are in place at this time," he said.
Lussenhop said Campbell's remains would be brought to the US after an autopsy is conducted but he was not certain if Campbell's family is coming to Manila to fetch the remains, which is now in the Loyola Memorial Chapels in Guadalupe, Makati City.
"It's a terrible tragedy for her family and our thoughts and our prayers go out to her and her family, her friends, and her colleagues in the Peace Corps," said Lussenhop as he expressed gratitude to Philippine authorities who helped in locating Campbell.
"It was a difficult search, very rugged terrain, and they were a great help to us. We're just very, very fortunate that we have such good friends and partners in the Philippines to help us," said Lussenhop.
Asked what really caused the death of Campbell, Lussenhop said: "We don't know that yet. They need to perform more processing of the site. They need to perform an autopsy and they'll do this in due course and they'll definitely announce the cause."
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo expressed his sympathies to the Campbell family.
"Miss Campbell came to the Philippines to work in the Peace Corps' ecological and educational programs. Her last assignment was helping Filipinos hone their English language skills in order to better face the challenges of this new age of globalization. This is a testament to her great character, generosity and dedication to serve others," said Romulo. (VR/JMR/Sunnex with UST intern Hannah Oliva and Bernadith Abonita)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (April 21, 2007 issue)
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