Paper short abstract:

This paper present lessons in doing ethnography an indigenous cultural community during COVID-19 in Southern Philippines. I also present my experiences in negotiating my own vulnerabilities and emotional distress while interacting and listening to the stories of community's struggles and despair.

Paper long abstract:

This paper of my PhD report provides lessons or insights in the conduct of ethnographic research in an indigenous cultural community amidst COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Bukidnon, Southern Philippines. To shed light on this case, I provide two crucial yet pivotal moments that provide risks and opportunities in my ethnographic journey --but are not limited to: 1.) challenges on ethics and health protocols and 2.) entering the field (doing fieldwork) in one of the vulnerable communities or population. Likewise, I also present my vulnerabilities, personal biases and emotional distress while engaging in their social activities or gatherings, interacting with them from day-to-day basis and even listening to the stories of struggles and despair from my interlocutors. What must be done? And how do we process these personal dilemma while in the field? Are we still doing good ethnography if our emotions or even our biases are affected by interlocutors’ stories? As human beings, we also need to empathise and navigate our emotions but to what extent could that be? My personal experience in doing ethnography particularly during COVID-19 allows me to be open, adaptive, strategic and responsive to the well-being and emotions of my interlocutors and to myself as a researcher and as an individual, too.