Akbayan files ‘Cagandahan Bill’ to ease intersex name change, gender marker

Akbayan party-list lawmakers have sought to translate the landmark Supreme Court ruling on intersex Filipinos (Republic vs. Cagandahan) into law, allowing them to easily change their names and gender markers in government documents. 

In a statement, Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña said he filed House Bill 5474 or the “Cagandahan Bill” to simplify the process of changing the entries in the legal documents of intersex persons without the need for a judicial order.

“Under the current law, Intersex Filipinos still have to go through the eye of a needle to change their name and gender in legal documents. Why would it go through the court when it can be done at the municipality?” Cendaña said in Tagalog.

“Intersex Filipinos deserve to be recognized in the eyes of the law. They should have the right to live in alignment with their identities without the tedious and expensive process of hiring a lawyer, proving themselves before a court, and waiting indefinitely for a ruling,” he added.

The bill, filed on Monday, Oct. 13, proposes to amend Republic Act 9048 (as previously amended by RA 10172) or the law that allows the correction of clerical errors in official documents to include the sex characteristics of intersex persons as a ground for change in first name, nickname, or sex.

This may be petitioned through the city or municipal civil registrar and the consul general, instead of local and higher courts, according to the bill.

Other authors of the proposed measure are Cendaña’s fellow Akbayan Representatives Chel Diokno and Dadah Kiram-Ismula with Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.