Ethical challenges in genetic research among Philippine Indigenous Peoples: Insights from fieldwork in Zamboanga and the Sulu Archipelago

Abstract

The Philippines, with the recent discovery of an archaic hominin in Luzon and an extensive ethnolinguistic diversity of more than 100 Indigenous peoples, is crucial to understanding human evolution and population history in Island Southeast Asia. Advances in DNA sequencing technologies enable the rapid generation of genomic data to robustly address questions about origins, relatedness, and population movements. With the increased genetic sampling in the country, especially by international scientists, it is vital to revisit ethical rules and guidelines relevant to conducting research among Indigenous peoples. Our team led fieldwork expeditions between 2019 and February 2020 in Zamboanga and the Sulu Archipelago, a chain of islands connecting the Mindanao and Borneo landmasses. The trips concluded with a collection of 2,149 DNA samples from 104 field sites. We present our fieldwork experience among the mostly sea-oriented Sama-Bajaw and Tausug-speaking communities and propose recommendations to address the ethical challenges of conducting such research. This work contributes toward building an enabling research environment in the Philippines that respects the rights and autonomy of Indigenous peoples, who are the rightful owners of their DNA and all genetic information contained therein.

Keywords: Philippine Indigenous peoples; Sama; Sulu Archipelago; Tausug; Zamboanga; population genetics; research ethics.

FIGURE 1

The Sulu Archipelago and Zamboanga City, Philippines. The map was created using QGIS version 3.22.2. A free and open-source Geographic Information System project by Open-Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo). http://qgis.osgeo.org.

FIGURE 2

Stages of basic academic research among Philippine Indigenous cultural communities/Indigenous peoples (ICCs/IPs).

FIGURE 3

One of the visual aids used during group orientations explains how humans (manusiya’) are made up of cells containing DNA (laha’ ka’mboan lit. Blood of ancestors). Illustrated by Jacob Barbosa. Photograph from Jacob Maentz.