.bash_profile is just a text file in the home directory of each user (~/.bash_profile). If it's not there you can create it. Alternatively, there may be .bash_login or .profile files present. These are also used by bash for configuration. (The files are read in by bash the order .bash_profile, .bash_login, and .profile).

However, since you already have the PATH set in /etc/profile you shouldn't need to worry about this.

There could be two reasons why it isn't working. 1. The directory you've listed is incorrect or 2. The PATH variable isn't exported.