The UP Cebu Research Ethics Committee was officially constituted with an official memorandum coming from the Office of the Chancellor last August 10, 2018. The officers and members of the Research Ethics Committee (REC) were mostly faculty members who have undergone the Basic Research Ethics Training held last May 10-11, 2018 at the AVR 1. The two trainers were Dr. Marita Reyes and Dr. Gemma Balein, both members of the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB). The training consisted of lectures, workshops, and workshop reports, usually accompanied by role playing from the grouped participants.
The said training is a prerequisite for the constitution of a Research Ethics Committee in an institution like UP Cebu. The CVSC Director, Dr. Belinda F. Espiritu, then wrote a letter to the Chancellor for the constitution of the officials and members of the UP Cebu Research Ethics Committee after initially contacting the faculty members and REPS who will serve either as regular or alternative members of the Committee. Dr. Marita Reyes, the principal trainer, refrained the CVSC Director and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs from becoming members or officers of the Research Ethics Committee because they, owing to their positions and nature of functions, might influence the decision making during the ethical review of proposals.
The Committee’s main function is to “streamline and harmonize the process of ethics review, maximize the utilization of human and institutional resources, and provide a supportive and enabling environment for research in the university” (source: UPM Research Ethics Board website, http://reb.upm.edu.ph). The UP Cebu Research Ethics Committee was tasked to prepare the documents for Level 1 accreditation during the academic year 2018-2019. The Committee officers and members can apply for higher level accreditation once they have served as an institutional REC for a prescribed period of time and have satisfied the requirements for higher level accreditation (Levels 2 and 3).
The UP Cebu Research Ethics Committee is a body that was constituted through the administrative initiative and support of the Central Visayas Studies Center and duly authorized by the Chancellor of UP Cebu. It makes independent decisions regarding the review, approval, and implementation of research protocols/proposals, in order to ensure the protection of the rights, safety, and well-being of human participants. It promotes integrity of research data.
Below is Memorandum No. CLDC-2018-084A which officially constitutes the UP Cebu Research Ethics Committee:
Original article from CVSC website