Dasmariñas passes Right to Care Card for LGBTQ+ residents
A major step forward for LGBTQ+ rights has been made in Dasmariñas City after officials approved the implementation of the Right to Care Card for residents.
On their Facebook page, the Dasmariñas City Council announced that they have now passed Ordinance No. 04-s-2026, which now allows members of the LGBTQ+ community to make medical decisions for their partners during emergencies and hospital-related situations.
"The City Government of Dasmariñas recognizes the rights of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) community by providing them support and privileges particularly in the field of healthcare services," they stated.
"The Sangguniang Panlungsod deemed it appropriate to enact an ordinance that shall give rights to the members of the LGBTQIA+ by way of allowing their authorized partner to choose the kind of treatment, procedures, tests, and prescriptions they shall receive," they added.
According to the ordinance, the Right to Care by Proxy Card will be issued only to bona fide residents of the city. However, the health care agents who are duly authorized to make health care decisions on behalf of the cardholder may or may not be a resident of Dasmariñas.
Issued in both physical and digital copies, the card will have appropriate details of both the cardholder and the health care agent.
Through the card, the health care agent will have the authority to make "any and all health care decisions" on behalf of the cardholder and have the right to "receive medical information and records necessary to make informed decisions" regarding the patient's health care.
These decisions will "have priority over decisions by any other person," except as otherwise provided in the Health Care Proxy.
With this, Dasmariñas now joins four other cities that have adopted the Right to Care policy, namely, Quezon City, San Juan City, Iloilo City, and Parañaque City.
The system is of particular importance to queer couples. Since the Philippines has yet to legally recognize same-sex unions, many LGBTQ+ partners often face difficulties during medical emergencies, especially when it comes to hospital visitation rights and making healthcare decisions for their loved ones.
A bill aiming to institutionalize the Right to Care system in the country has now been filed in the House of Representatives.
Introduced by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, the measure adopts provisions from Quezon City's Right to Care Ordinance, and proposals filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Reps. Perci Cendaña, Chel Diokno, Dadah Kiram Ismula, Kaka Bag-ao, and Javier Miguel Benitez.