Peace Corps chief in Philippines amid search for missing volunteer

Apr 17, 2007, 2:39 GMT

Manila - The director of the US Peace Corps rushed to a northern Philippine province Tuesday to personally check on the progress of a search for a missing volunteer.

Ronald Tschetter arrived Monday evening in Manila and was scheduled Tuesday to travel to Ifugao province, 290 kilometres north of the capital.

Julia Campbell, 40, has been missing since April 8 when she went on a hike on her own in a hilly area in Batad town in Ifugao.

'All our thoughts and prayers are with Ms Campbell and her family during this very difficult time,' Tschetter said in a statement. 'The Peace Corps is making every effort to find her.'

The US embassy said Tschetter would meet with people involved in the search for Campbell in Ifugao to 'learn about the efforts being made and express his gratitude for their assistance.'

Police, US embassy personnel, army troops, local travel guides and local officials have been combing the forests and hiking trails for Campbell since late last week, but the teams have not yet found any clue on her whereabouts.

The US embassy has appealed for information and offered a reward.

Campbell has been teaching at a college in the eastern city of Legazpi since she arrived in the Philippines in March 2005. She is one of 137 Peace Corps volunteers currently in the Philippines.

The US embassy said more than 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in the Philippines since 1961, making it the second oldest Peace Corps programme in the world.