In the Philippines, it’s illegal for queer couples to make crucial decisions for each other during medical emergencies. Hospitals can only allow the next-of-kin to do this.

To remedy this healthcare injustice, The Quezon City government launched The Right to Care card on the last day of Pride Month. This card repurposes a Special Power of Attorney (legal document commonly used in financial transactions) into portable proof that grants LGBTQ couples decision-making rights during medical emergencies.

Half of the total Pride-related online buzz on Twitter mentioned the card, with 132 organic media pick-ups and 85.2 million organic impressions.

The inaugural batch started with 1,462 registrations and is still increasing every day. The Department of Health and Commission on Human Rights declared national support. Talks have begun with multiple cities about adopting the card.

Time Magazine hailed the Philippines as the most socially accepting nation in the world for the LGBTQ community, yet our neighboring countries are leading the change to make their countries more inclusive for their people. While they are working on the legalization of same-sex marriage and civil union, our lawmakers in the Philippines are rejecting SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) Equality Bill that will give Filipino LGBTQs the right to partake on same-sex marriage and civil unions.

As a consequence, one of the places where we have felt the true injustice is in the emergency room and ICU, where queer couples cannot make medical decisions for each other because it’s illegal.

Quezon City Local Government has a gender affairs council that’s on the lookout for opportunities and ways to address gender-based inequality. Pushing for this advocacy, they launched the Right to Care card as an added benefit for their LGBTQ couple constituents. This card repurposes a Special Power of Attorney (legal document commonly used in financial transactions) into portable proof that grants LGBTQ couples decision-making rights during medical emergencies.

The SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) bill is the longest unpassed bill in the Philippine Senate, languishing over decades. The Philippines has a Catholic majority, and this religious bias has been used to deny its passage. As a result, same sex marriage and civil union still remains illegal in the Philippines. The law should be able to protect everyone, but without this bill, gender-based healthcare discrimination persists.

If the law has yet to address discrimination based on sexual orientation, what if it could also be our ally?

To remedy this healthcare injustice, we partnered with multiple legal teams to find a way. The Right to Care Card creatively repurposes a Special Power of Attorney (a legal document commonly used in financial transactions) into portable proof that authorizes LGBTQ couples to decide for each other during medical emergencies. The Right to Care Card legalizes what was previously thought to be impossible, while still remaining within the Philippine Constitution.

The SOGIE bill is the longest unpassed bill in the Philippine Senate, languishing over decades. The Philippines has a Catholic majority, and this religious bias has been used to deny its passage. As a result, same sex marriage and civil union still remains illegal in the Philippines.The law should be able to protect everyone, but without this bill, gender-based healthcare discrimination persists.

The Right to Care card takes something that is already accepted by law in the Philippines – a special power of attorney is usually used to protect financial transactions. We repurposed this legal document into a portable proof that can grant LGBTQ couples medical decision-making rights for each other.

To do this, we didn’t need the support of the congress and the senate. All we needed is a local government unit who can execute this through an ordinance while still adhering to the constitution of the Philippines.

The Right to Care Card creatively repurposes a Special Power of Attorney (legal document commonly used in financial transactions) into portable proof that authorizes LGBTQ couples to decide for each other during medical emergencies. While LGBTQ couples cannot be legally married in the Philippines, they should have the right to make medical decisions on behalf of their partners.

Created together with multiple legal teams, the Right to Care Card legalizes what was previously thought to be impossible while still obeying the Philippine Constitution.

As a card, it’s easy to carry and show at hospitals. While it is simple on the surface, it is a truly innovative approach, and a giant step for equality in the healthcare system of the Philippines.

The mayor of Quezon City, the Philippines’ most populous city, launched the Right to Care Card during Pride March. Half of the total Pride-related online buzz on Twitter mentioned the card. Organic pickup by 132 media outlets and a total of 85.2 million organic impressions meant a lot of awareness could be converted into action.

The inaugural batch started with 1,462 registrations and is still increasing every day. The Department of Health declared its support. The Commission on Human Rights released a full statement hailing the Right to Care Card as a brave step towards equality. Talks have begun with multiple cities about adopting the card.