After a successful launch in Quezon City, what’s next for the ‘right to care’ card?

In the middle of a city hall-run show back in June 2023, Quezon City (QC) Mayor Joy Belmonte made an announcement that would gain international attention for its innovative approach to upholding LGBTQ+ rights – the “right to care” card. 

The “right to care” card grants queer couples the legal right to make healthcare decisions on behalf of one another through a special power of attorney contract. 

An ordinance to institutionalize the program has been passed by the Quezon City Council and signed by Belmonte on October 2023, while the first batch of cards was distributed during the city’s fourth commitment ceremony for LGBTQ+ couples on February 17. 

Since the commitment ceremony, the registration for the card has been turned over from MullenLowe TREYNA, the ad agency behind the idea of the program, to the QC gender and development (GAD) office. Before the turnover, around 800 couples had signed up for the card. 

As of Saturday, June 22, 171 couples have attended at least one of the 20 orientations held by the GAD office. Meanwhile, a total of 116 couples were given their “right to care” cards. Around 38 of these couples received their copies on Saturday in celebration of the 2024 QC Pride march and festival.

QC GAD head Janete Oviedo also told Rappler in an interview on June 18 that several hospitals have already called the GAD office to confirm whether certain queer couples are registered to the “right to care” program. 

“Wala pa naman kami na-re-receive na complaints na dinisregard o hindi na-recognize ‘yung ‘right to care’ card, which is good news for us,” she added.

(We haven’t received any complaints where the ‘right to care’ card was disregarded or not recognized, which is good news for us.)

MullenLowe TREYNA senior art director Adrian de Guzman said he is glad that there have been continuous efforts by the QC government to bring the “right to care” card to its LGBTQ+ residents as it helps normalize the recognition of queer couples in legal matters. 

“I find the process normal now because like heterosexual couples that apply for a conjugal property or a marriage certificate, it also goes the same for us queer people that we can apply normally where our