Philippines’ Right to Care Act could propel LGBTI rights

A draft law in the Philippines could be the first step towards recognising same-sex partnerships, signalling a major shift in a country where lawmakers have rejected proposals against the discrimination of LGBTI people for a quarter-century.

- MARIEJO RAMOS

Party-list representative Percival Cendana filed a measure in November last year to protect LGBTI couples from stigma and discrimination in health settings.

Under the proposed Right to Care Act, patients can designate their partners through a special power of attorney to make critical health decisions and receive information on their behalf if they become incapacitated.

The bill, which is being debated in committee, includes a “right to care” card for couples that all health facilities must accept or face penalties.

Without a national law on marriage equality in the predominantly Catholic country, partners of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity are not allowed by hospitals to act as primary caregivers and are denied a role in decision making in health emergencies.

Cendana said that while the proposed law will not enact marriage equality, it “recognises that the relationships of LGBTI people are valid”.

Cendana helped draft the Philippines’ first bill against discrimination of LGBTI Filipinos in 2000. Subsequent attempts to legislate such protections over the last two decades have also failed. A current version, the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, aims to provide fair and equal access to basic social services, opportunities, health-care, protection and justice.