WV Ethics Group Breaks Boundaries, Trains Researchers in Bohol

Tagbilaran City- Breaking new ground in the promotion of research integrity, the Regional Ethics Monitoring Board (REMB) VI, serving as the regional arm of the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) for the Visayas Cluster, successfully facilitated a Basic Research Ethics Training (BRET) for Bohol Island State University (BISU) last March 18-19, 2026, at Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

REMB VI, based in the Department of Science and Technology Western Visayas, serves as the regional arm of the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) in implementing its policies and in protecting the rights, safety, and welfare of human participants in research. This event, the BRET, marks a milestone as the first ethics training facilitated by REMB VI outside of Western Visayas. Its primary objective was to equip the academic leaders and researchers with a comprehensive understanding of research ethics principles and provide hands-on experience in the evaluation of research protocols involving human participants.

The two-day training program was led by a team of PHREB-accredited trainers, including Prof. Lerma L. Paris (Chair, REMB VI Committee on Information, Dissemination, Training and Advocacy), Dr. Manuel Emerson S. Donaldo (Professor of Medicine, Cebu Institute of Medicine), and Dr. Leah Wilfreda R.E. Pilongo (Dean of Research and Graduate School, University of Bohol). Their combined expertise provided a rigorous academic and practical framework for the participants.
A total of 65 attendees participated in the sessions, a group that included research directors and members of the Research Ethics Review Committee (RERC) panels from all six BISU campuses.

Currently, BISU functions with an acting chair and an approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). With the completion of the BRET, the university is now positioned to: strengthen the RERC functions and operations ensuring that the institution complies with the accreditation standards; enhance data privacy; and improve the ethical framework on how research findings are shared and utilized by the public.
Dr. Anthony M. Penaso, University President of BISU, emphasized in his message that upon completing the two-day BRET, participants become ambassadors of ethical research, promoting compliance with ethical standards in studies involving human participants within their institutions.

DOST Western Visayas, serving as the Secretariat of REMB VI, plays a key role in advancing the Board’s mandate by promoting initiatives that foster a culture of ethical research. Through sustained coordination, capacity-building, and strategic partnerships, it strengthens the implementation of research ethics standards across Western Visayas and the broader Visayas Cluster.

By extending this specialized training beyond regional boundaries, REMB VI, together with DOST Western Visayas, reaffirms its commitment to capacitating research ethics committees across the Visayas and ensuring the protection of human participants in research.

Photos courtesy of the official student publication of Bohol Island State University – Main Campus.

#DOSTWesternVisayas #OneDOST4U #SolutionsAndOpportunitiesForAll #REMBVI