WASHINGTON D.C. A fresh batch of US Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Manila today, a little over a month after the murder of Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell in Ifugao province, and in time for them to witness first-hand the country's midterm elections.

Philippine Consul-General Ding Nolasco said they issued non-immigrant visas to 65 Peace Corps volunteers, keeping the consular office open until eight in the evening to accommodate the group.

"This shows the United States' continued commitment to help the Philippines," Nolasco averred.

He said "Group 266," as this batch is known, is a rich mix of young and old from virtually all parts of the U.S., with varied specializations that are needed in areas of the Philippines where they will eventually be deployed.

Nolasco revealed that some even appear to have Asian roots.

Some are first-timers to the Philippines, while a number are veterans who either opted to extend their stint or are returning to the country.

He added that they will be spread out to various local government units, schools and shelters run by the Department of Social Welfare & Development (DWSD).

"We are glad they continue to send volunteers to the Philippines, which is a pillar of the people-to-people relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines," Nolasco declared.

Sources tell ABS-CBN News they almost missed their flight because security clearances from the Philippines arrived late. The group had been waiting in California to get their Philippine visas here.

Security officials are reportedly swamped by requests for clearances because of the forthcoming elections.

The fate of the Peace Corps program in the Philippines appeared uncertain after Campbell, 40, was found murdered in Batad, Ifugao. She was reported missing April 8, Easter Sunday, while on a trek to see the world-renown Banawe rice terraces.

Filipino-American leaders here immediately decried the loss of Campbell, a resident of Fairfax County that is part of the Greater Washington D.C. area.

Campbell was near the end of her two-year stint with the Peace Corps, serving as an English teacher in Bicol. The Peace Corps has been active in the Philippines since 1961, only to be interrupted when communist rebels abducted one of its volunteers, Timothy Swanson in Negros Island in July 1990. He was released unharmed 50 days later.

Police arrested a suspect, woodcarver Juan Duntugan, who confessed to the crime.

Authorities consider this a closed case, although the U.S. has reportedly been pressuring prosecutors to file murder charges instead of a lesser crime of homicide.

Asked if the U.S. could be trying to deliver a message, Nolasco said there was nothing extraordinary in the Peace Corps deployment at this time. He said they usually dispatch their volunteers at this time of year.