House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima has filed House Bill 7068, or the Right to Care Act, seeking to institutionalize a “Right to Care” card system that allows patients to choose who will make medical decisions for them when they are incapacitated.
The measure aims to guarantee equal protection of the law, ensure access to compassionate health care, and address discrimination faced by solo parents, people in nonmarital and same-sex relationships, and those from nontraditional households.
Under the bill, individuals may designate a “health care agent” through a Health Care Proxy, which will be recognized as a legally authorized representative and reflected in the PhilHealth system and ID.
The Department of Health will be tasked to create a secure, centralized Right to Care Registry System accessible to authorized health facilities nationwide for real-time verification.
The proposal also allows the issuance of digital or physical Right to Care cards and grants immunity to health care workers who act in good faith in honoring Health Care Proxies.
Source: PhilNews24 | January 18, 2026
