As a country with deep family ties, religious devotion, and superstitious beliefs, it may not be surprising to find that the Philippines lack willing organ donors. Also, it may not come as a surprise to know that many relatives of the deceased are hesitant to consent to an organ donation after the loss of a loved one.

However, according to the Philippine Renal Disease Registry Report for 2008, between 10,000 and 12,000 Filipinos develop end-stage renal disease, half of which are eligible for kidney transplant. Out of 5,000 patients eligible for kidney transplant, less than 10 percent actually undergo surgery because of insufficient organ supply.

Over the years, the disparity between living and deceased donations has been growing and according to the same report, 97% of organ donations came from living donors.

In response to the shortage of life-saving organs, advocates such as Dr. Vicki Belo have begun pushing for the use of organ donor cards which express a person’s intentions to “help someone to live after death”.

While the donor cards are not the equivalent of a legal consent document at the present time, the cards indicate to both the relatives and medical personnel a person’s willingness to donate organs for transplant after a person has been declared brain dead.