In a first for the fledgling Gender Law and Policy Program of the UP College of Law, the Insurance Commission affirmed GLPP’s position that LGBTQ members may designate beneficiaries of their choice in their insurance plan.

Earlier Professor Leo Battad, program director of the Gender Law and Policy Program had sought the Commission’s “guidelines on the right of the insured to designate a beneficiary, particularly the rights of members of the LGBTQ community to designate their domestic partners as beneficiaries of their life insurance.” Affirming this position, the Commission issued a legal opinion that the LGBTQ community may designate their partners as beneficiaries.

The need for these guidelines was raised by Professor Battad, who teaches Labor Law in the College of Law, when she noted that “some LGBTQ members were refused designating their domestic partner by insurance companies, citing “lack of an ‘insurable interest’ of the domestic partner on the life of the insured.”
Secretary of Justice Guevarra also expressed agreement with the Insurance Commission’s opinion.

The full report by Kristine Joy Patag may be accessed at: https://www.philstar.com/business/2020/03/05/1998381/insurance-commission-lgbtq-members-can-designate-partners-insurance-beneficiary