“This initiative will place not only the LGBT couples to be on equal footing with heterosexual couples in terms of medical and care decisions, it also validates the right to love and be taken care of by our partner.”

CAGAYAN DE ORO — Aside from honoring the contributions of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, queers, intersexuals, asexuals, and other identities (LGBTQIA+) in various fields, Pride Month is also a venue to ventilate long-standing issues faced by the community.

This year, LGBTQIA+ organizations in Cagayan de Oro aim to address one particular challenge: the inability to make medical decisions for their life partners. They launched a signature campaign during the two-day Pride Month activity in the city that started on June 20 to gather support from the public.

This petition calls for recognition of LGBTQIA+ couples’ medical rights in city government-run hospitals and health facilities, including barangay health centers. 

The movement was spearheaded by the LGBTQIA+ Federation of Cagayan de Oro, along with Kahilwayan, a Mindanao-based network of LGBTQIA+ organizations, individuals, and allies.

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Herna Francis Mae Tano, executive director of youth-led organization Andam Higala, pointed out that there are LGBTQIA+ couples who have been together for more than a decade and are calling for an inclusive policy on the issue.

 She stressed that there were local government units in the country that have already approved such a program and it is time for the City of Golden Friendship to follow suit.

In 2023, the Right to Care Card was launched in Quezon City. It enables LGBTQIA+ couples to make medical decisions for any type of medical care for their partners, including treatment, procedures, tests and prescriptions.

This was lauded by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), stressing that a lack of legislation that recognizes the rights of LGBTQIA+ members places them at a disadvantage, including in healthcare services.

Following this, a bill that seeks to recognize healthcare proxies by all health facilities through the issuance of a Right to Care Card was also filed in the House of Representatives. The measure, still pending at the committee level, was introduced by Akbayan Party-list Representative Percival Cendaña.

A similar policy is also set to be implemented in San Juan City through an ordinance that was passed this month.

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Alvin John Juarez Neyra, Kahilwayan spokesperson, expressed hope that the support from the city government of Cagayan de Oro will extend to the daily and critical moments faced by the LGBTQIA+ couples.

“This initiative will not only place the LGBT couples on equal footing with heterosexual couples in terms of medical and care decisions, it also validates the right to love and be taken care of by our partner,” Neyra said.

The groups have gathered a total of 542 signatures from the two-day event, which will be submitted to the office of City Mayor Roland Uy.

They said they hope that their campaign will result in future dialogues. (RBV)