As part of its ongoing grassroots campaign, partylist group Kaunlad Pinoy (#133 on the ballot) visited the bustling town of Taytay to meet with Team Smile and engage local vendors, online sellers and microentrepreneurs.

The visit underscored Kaunlad Pinoy’s legislative platform to uplift Filipinos in the informal economy — highlighting two key proposals: a Tax Holiday for First-Time Entrepreneurs and a Magna Carta for Informal Businesses.

“Taytay is one of the microentrepreneurship hubs in the country. You see hardworking Filipinos on every street and in every stall,” said Kuya Choi, Kaunlad Pinoy’s first nominee and founder. “They’ve built businesses from the ground up, often with little to no assistance. They deserve laws that protect and empower them.”

Kuya Choi emphasized the need for inclusive legislation:

“Our next step is to bring the voice of small business owners to the legislative table. Many of our members are informal vendors — sari-sari store owners, delivery riders, ukay-ukay sellers. They deal with taxes, complex registration processes and have zero protection. That has to change.”

Pushing for ease of doing business

Among Kaunlad Pinoy’s flagship initiatives is a tax holiday for first-time entrepreneurs, aimed at encouraging more Filipinos to formalize their businesses without the fear of immediate financial pressure.

“People want to register their businesses, but they’re afraid of the costs,” said Kaunlad Pinoy’s second nominee. “That’s why we’re proposing a tax holiday for the first few years — to give them breathing room, help them grow and stabilize operations.”

The proposed tax break would apply to individuals launching their first businesses or transitioning from informal to formal microenterprises. The goal is to remove barriers that discourage entrepreneurship and to bring more workers into the formal economy.

“There are millions of hardworking Filipinos in the informal sector, yet the law barely recognizes them,” Kuya Choi said. “They have no safety nets, no legal protection — despite their huge contribution to our economy. We want to change that.”

“Our goal is simple,” he added. “If you’re willing to work and build a livelihood, the government should meet you halfway.”