In a powerful show of love, rights, and recognition this Pride Month, San Juan City steps into history. With the recent approval of the Right to Care Card ordinance, queer couples in the city can now make vital medical decisions for their partners, officially and legally. It’s a simple piece of documentation, yes— but one that represents years of advocacy, struggle, and the ever-growing push for equality in the Philippines.
Happy Pride Month! Thank you for caring. pic.twitter.com/H5lHh2vjgX
— The Right to Care Card (@RightToCareCard) June 11, 2025
This move makes San Juan the second city in the country to institutionalize the Right to Care Card, following Quezon City’s landmark launch in 2023. Backed by a local ordinance, the card operates through a Special Power of Attorney (SPA), granting LGBTQIA+ couples the right to agree to, refuse, or withdraw medical consent on behalf of their partners under covering procedures, treatments, tests, and prescriptions.
“In recognition of the efforts to ensure equalities and equity among all gender, the City Government of San Juan hereby declares that all Health-Care Providers within the territorial jurisdiction of locality shall recognize and respect the use of the Health Care Proxy issued by the Gender & Development Office of the City of San Juan granting LGBTQIA+ couples and other eligible individuals the right to make medical decisions for their partners if needed,” the ordinance stated.
Right to Care Card
For years, LGBTQIA+ couples in the Philippines have faced legal hurdles that strip them of the right to make decisions for their partners in moments of crisis. With this ordinance, that barrier is one less thing to worry about—at least in San Juan and QC.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, whose city pioneered the program, applauded San Juan for joining the cause. “Happy Pride, mga nakshies! Yakap ng mahigpit (Tight hugs to all of you),” she said.
Meanwhile, Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña, who served as a resource person during the public hearing on the local ordinance on Feb. 28, lauded the enactment.
“Deserve ng bawat partner, anumang SOGIE, na kilalaning ‘mahal sa buhay’ sa mata ng batas (Every partner, regardless of SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression), deserves to be recognized as a ‘loved one’ in the eyes of the law),” he said.
Since the launch of the program in 2023, over 468 queer couples have applied for the Right to Care Card in Quezon City alone. Participating public hospitals include Quezon City General Hospital, Novaliches District Hospital, and Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital.
But let’s be clear: while this ordinance is a victory, it’s far from the final goal. The Right to Care Card is just one piece of the puzzle in the broader push for LGBTQIA+ rights in the Philippines. With the SOGIE Equality Bill still languishing in Congress, there’s much more ground to cover.
The card gives a glimpse of the world we’re striving for a world where queer love isn’t just accepted, it’s protected. But beyond Pride Month headlines, we need bolder action, louder voices, and real legislative change. Because love deserves not just recognition—but rights.
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