Research Ethics Committee
Upholding ethical standards in research to protect human participants and ensure integrity in academic and scientific studies.
Statement of General Policies and Principles of Operation
The DNSC-REC operates in accordance with local and international ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki (2013), ICH-GCP Guidelines, CIOMS Guidelines, WHO Standards, PHREB National Ethical Guidelines for Health Research, and other applicable laws and regulations.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through Special Order No. 248, s. 2017, established Regional Ethics Monitoring Boards (REMBs) to ensure consistent implementation of ethical policies and to support PHREB in safeguarding the rights, safety, and welfare of human research participants.
As an academic institution, DNSC ensures that all research proposals are reviewed thoroughly and fairly to uphold the highest ethical standards and protect participants from harm.
Review Scope of Authority
The DNSC-REC reviews and monitors research involving human subjects, including identifiable human materials and data conducted by faculty, staff, and students.
It may also review community-based research endorsed by the College, as well as research from other institutions lacking their own ethics review committees.
Functions of the DNSC-REC
- Ensure that proposed interventions are safe for human participation.
- Assess whether the research is scientifically sound.
- Address and resolve all ethical concerns in research protocols.
- Evaluate the qualifications of researchers and research environments.
- Maintain records and monitor ongoing research activities.
DNSC-REC Members
Official members of the DNSC Research Ethics Committee.
| NAME | DESIGNATION |
|---|---|
| 1. Sadie D. Law-ay, MASOR | DNSC-REC Chairperson |
| 2. Mark Van M. Buladaco, PhD | DNSC-REC Member |
| 3. Gemma G. Cervantes | DNSC-REC Member |
| 4. Joena Marie A. Martinez | DNSC-REC Member |
| 5. Junry R. Lanoy | DNSC-REC Member |
| 6. Ria Jayne A. Tabinas | DNSC-REC Member |
| 7. Nolie C. Guadalquiver Jr. | DNSC-REC Member |
| 8. Karl Patrick B. Amper, PhD | DNSC-REC Member |
| 9. Jineva M. Sucnaan | DNSC-REC Member |
| 10. Alje Marie C. Navea | DNSC-REC Member |
| 11. Nestle Joy R. Arguilla, PhD | DNSC-REC Member |
| 12. Gifty M. Montalban | DNSC-REC Staff |
How to Apply
Initial Submissions
- The REC office is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, during which REC Staff accepts study documents.
- Submitted documents are checked for completeness using the REC Form 13 checklist.
- The REC Staff accepts documents from Monday to Friday of the week.
- Applications are initially assessed within 7 days prior to coding.
REC Fees
| REC FEES | |
|---|---|
| External Rates | |
| Rates for non-DNSC students | |
| Doctoral | 5,000 + incidentals* |
| Masteral | 4,000 + incidentals* |
| Undergraduate | 3,000 + incidentals* |
| *Miscellaneous expenses | |
| Rates for non-DNSC projects | |
| a. Internationally funded | 8,000 |
| b. Locally funded | 5,000 |
| c. Patriotic Research | 1,000 |
| Internal Rates | |
| Doctoral | 3,000 |
| Masteral | 2,000 |
| Undergraduate | 1,500 |
| DNSC-funded research | 1,000 |
| Patriotic research | 500 |
| Rates for DNSC implemented but externally funded | |
| a. Locally funded (CHED, DOST, LGU) | 5,000 |
| b. Internationally funded (World Bank, ADB, etc.) | 8,000 |
| Note: *Incidentals refer to miscellaneous expenses incurred by the REC for monitoring and evaluation (e.g., site visits). | |
Statement of General Policies and Principles of Operation
The DNSC- REC was constituted and is operating according to the policies and principles set forth by local and international standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki 2013, the International Conference on Harmonization – Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) Guidelines, Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) Guidelines, World Health Organization (WHO) Standards and Operational Guidance for Ethics Review of Health-Related Research and Surveying and Evaluation Ethical Review Practices, PHREB National Ethical Guidelines for Health Research, and applicable laws and regulations.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) issued DOST Special Order No. 248, s 2017 on March 31, 2017, for the establishment of Research Ethics Monitoring Board (REMBs) in Region I, Region VI and Region XI. That in the interest of the service and to ensure comprehensive and consistent implementation of policies and assist the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) in protecting the rights, safety and welfare of human participants in health-related research particularly in the regions, a Regional Ethics Monitoring Board (REMB) was established to extend its policies and guidelines in the accreditation processes, ethics training dissemination, and advocacy in all the regions of the country.
Thus, DNSC as an institution of higher learning needs to ensure that all research proposals are thoroughly and fairly reviewed for ethical research conduct in accordance with the highest ethical standards such that human subjects are protected from physical or psychological harm.
Review Scope of Authority
The DNSC-REC reviews and monitors researches involving human subjects and including research on identifiable human material and data that is proposed to be conducted by Faculty, Staff and students at the College. The committee may also review and monitor community-based researches that seeks endorsement from the College, as well as researches done in other institutions that do not have ethics review committees.
Functions of the DNSC-REC
The following are the functions of the DNSC-REC (based on international guidelines):
- to determine that all proposed interventions, particularly the administration of devices or procedures under development, are acceptably safe to be undertaken in humans or to verify that another competent Research Ethics Committee (REC) has done so:
- to determine that the proposed research is scientifically sound or to verify that another competent Research Ethics Committee (REC) has done so.
- to ensure that all other ethical concerns arising from a protocol are satisfactorily resolved both in principle and in practice.
- to consider the qualifications of the investigators, including education in the principles of research practice, and the conditions of the research site with a view to ensuring the safe conduct of data gathering; and
- to keep records of decisions and to take measures to follow up on the conduct of ongoing research projects.
DNSC- REC Organizational Structure
- Sadie D. Law-ay DNSC-REC Chairperson
- Mark Van M. Buladaco DNSC-REC Member
- Sevetrim B. Torrejos DNSC-REC Member
- Gemma G. Cervantes DNSC-REC Member
- Joena Marie M. Agod DNSC-REC Member
- Junry Lanoy DNSC-REC Member
- Ria Jayne A. Tabinas DNSC-REC Member
- Nolie C. Guadalquiver Jr. DNSC-REC Member
- MC Fe E. Erive DNSC-REC Staff
HOW TO APPLY:
Initial Submissions
The REC office is open from 8:00AM to 5:00PM during which the REC Staff accepts study
documents. The REC Staff checks completeness of the documents based on the checklist (REC
Form 13). The REC Staff will accept the documents every Friday of the week and will be initially
assessed within 7 days before coding.
