Carmona latest city to adopt 'Right to Care' ordinance
Carmona City in Cavite has passed its own version of the Right to Care ordinance.
Dr. Dahlia A. Loyola, Carmona City mayor, shared the news on her Facebook page on the morning of July 30.
The Right to Care ordinance allows co-habiting LGBTQIA+ partners to serve as healthcare proxies. When individuals are unable to make medical decisions for themselves during emergencies, the ordinance empowers their partners to legally step in on their behalf.
Through a Special Power of Attorney, entrusted individuals can consent to, refuse, or stop medical treatments, tests, and procedures on behalf of their partners.
The initiative was originally conceptualized by advertising executive Adrian de Guzman in 2020. Quezon City was first to implement the initiative in 2023, following it up with the launch of the Right to Care card. In January 2026, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima filed a bill before the House of Representatives seeking to institutionalize the Right to Care system.
Quezon City's ordinance focuses on granting the healthcare proxy right to resident queer couples; Carmona has chosen to add other trusted individuals to the list.
"Sa bisa ng nasabing ordinansa[,] kikilalanin ng mga healthcare facilities sa lungsod ang mga pinagkakatiwalaang healthcare proxies hindi lamang ng mga miyembro ng LGBTQIA+ community, pati na rin ang mga live-in partners, solo parents, OFW families, senior citizens, PWDs, trusted caregivers, o sinumang may non-traditional support system," Loyola wrote.
"[Sila ay mabibigyan] ng karapatan sa hospital visitation, access to information, accompaniment sa confinement at makapagbigay ng critical healthcare decisions para sa kanilang mga minamahal sa buhay," Loyola added.
Apart from Quezon City and Carmona City, other cities that have enacted their version of the ordinance are San Juan, Parañaque, Mandaluyong, Biñan, Dasmariñas, Iloilo, and Laoag; provinces include Cavite, Laguna, Ilocos Sur, and Cebu. A proposal for its version of the Right to Care ordinance has been filed in Naga City.
