Press Release
April 25, 2007

ROXAS CITES NEED TO BOOST
PROTECTION FOR FOREIGN AID WORKERS

Senator Mar Roxas is pushing for greater protection of foreign aid workers in the Philippines following the death last week of American Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell in the province of Ifugao.

My sincere sympathy goes out to Julia Campbells family and friends with the hope that the perpetrator will be apprehended and brought to justice soon, Roxas said in a statement.

With Julias death, it may be time for the government to review the security not only of the 138 Peace Corps workers in the country but also volunteers of other good causes, he added.

Roxas cited a 2004 Peace Corps report that showed six out of 140 volunteers suffered physical violence during their tour of duty in the country.

The senator said the data gathered by the United States Peace Corps could serve a better purposeto highlight the need to protect not only foreign aid workers but also Filipinos serving a noble cause.

The immediate filing of an airtight case against the suspected killer of Julia Campbell followed by a swift conviction will allay fears that the Philippines is in the grip of lawless elements, he added.

Roxas said the image of the country suffers serious harm due to successive reports of violent crimes including the beheading of 7 victims by the Abu Sayyaf. He also expressed concern over the growing number of countries that have issued travel advisories to their nationals citing the peace and order situation in the Philippines .

Investors are kept at bay because we seem incapable of enforcing our laws nor are we able to consistently prevent crime and violence, he stressed.

Senator Roxas said it is critically important that the perception of escalated violence in the country is corrected. Travel advisories issued by foreign governments are driven by such perceptions. The best way to redeem ourselves before the international community is to show concrete proof that our criminal justice system works and that our quest for peace and order is purposive and real.

The senator from Capiz expressed hope that the government, particularly the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and the courts, would do its best to give justice to the slain Peace Corps volunteer and not offer half-baked solutions to the case or fall guys as suspects.

Julia Campbell, her family, the Peace Corps and all the good Samaritans who have never given up on us deserve nothing less than that, Roxas said.

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