BPSU PREC now Level 1 accredited

Contributed by Grace Santos, BPSU-RDO

CITY of BALANGA, Bataan – The BPSU Peninsulares Research Ethics Committee (PREC) is underway to receive its Level 1 Accreditation Certificate to be awarded by the Philippine Research Ethics Board (PHREB) today, March 16, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) during the 36th Anniversary of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).

Among the state universities and colleges in Region 3, Bataan Peninsula State University is the second to have an accreditation as an Ethics Review Committee (ERC), the first is Tarlac State University.

An ethics committee functions to safeguard the rights, safety and well-being of all researcher participants taking into account the interests, needs of the researchers and having due regard in the requirements of relevant regulatory agencies and applicable laws. It also serves to evaluate the conduct of research in accordance with international and national guidelines, local laws, standards of professional conduct and practice and community morals, values and needs. All in all, it promotes research integrity by identifying and resolving conflicts of interest.

The duties and activities of the committee include conduct of initial review of research protocols, conduct of continuing review of approved protocols, monitor compliance of on-going researches, conduct of regular meetings to deliberate on protocols and other submission to the committee, manage pertinent research documents and archiving, prepare/revise SOPs for efficiency, transparency and consistency of committee procedures, ensure functional structure and composition of the committee and warrant continuing training on research ethics of members.

Under the supervision of Dr. Hermogenes M. Paguia, the BPSU PREC is composed of the following: Dr. Ronnell dela Rosa as the Chairperson; Mr. Joerald Gadia as Vice- Chairperson; Ms. Ma. Florinda O. Rubiano as Member Secretary; Mr. John Kerby T. Amanonce as PREC Secretariat. Dr. Felicisima Tungol, Mr. Daniel Bawan, Dr. Ricson Ines, Dr. Sunshine Talavera and Ms. Lorna Roldan are members with Ms. Gloria Pangon and Mr. Cecilio Gunio, Jr. as lay members.

As Albert Camus once said, “A man without ethics is a wild beast lost upon its world.”

Photos courtesy of BPSU-PREC members