A bill allowing queer couples to make medical decisions for their partners through the Right To Care (RTC) card program was filed in Congress in November. According to a document obtained by ABS-CBN News, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña filed the bill, making the Department of Health the facilitator of the application for the health care proxies.

The “health care agent” or the partner will have the authority to make decisions for their partners, get records and information for informed decisions, and priority to decide on their behalf unless decided otherwise. With the bill, health care providers are obliged to comply with the decisions of the proxy, but they are not liable for their decisions.

The Right To Care card program was first introduced in Quezon City in 2023 as part as a campaign by MullenLowe TREYNA and Quezon City Council. It uses the Special Power of Attorney, describing it “as though you held the power of a civil marriage contract.”

In an earlier report by ABS-CBN News, the Quezon City government said it has tallied 800 couples registered for the RTC card, while around 423 healthcare providers have already committed to accepting the RTC cards.