Sen. Pia inspires Palaweños: “You are the real resource of the province
For Senator Pia Cayetano, the Province of Palawan’s true wealth...
PTK:
Presyo-Trabaho-Kita Program
Empowering communities through accessible capital, sustainable livelihoods, and organized grassroots support—helping Filipinos build income with dignity and opportunity.
Presyo, Trabaho, Kita/Kaayusan” or PTK is a program and advocacy launched by
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano in 2013 as a response to the problems he has seen, heard,
and felt all around the Philippines during his listening tours, from the highlands to the
coasts.
- the high prices of commodities (presyo),
- inadequate income (kita) and the lack of organizational structure and order of communities (kaayusan) due to being tethered to poverty.
- Systemic transformation — reshaping institutions and public policy to serve citizens more effectively and ethically.
These problems and the difficulty of accessing formal loans have brought more than 50%
of Filipino adults indebted to their family and friends or to informal lenders with “5-6”
schemes or 20% or higher interest rates, which only perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
PTK Goal
The PTK program aims to empower ordinary Filipinos and MSMEs who have banded together as community-based cooperatives or associations by providing them with capital for microloans and livelihoods. These groups are from various sectors, including transport (tricycle, jeepney, habal-habal, padyak), vendors (from market to street to home-based), farmers, fishermen, tour guides (horse jockeys and whale shark boatmen), factory workers, local politicians (kagawad), disaster victims, student councils, women, and senior citizens. These partner groups have implemented their own “PTK Kontra 5-6” loan program in which they lend money to their members at low interest rates not exceeding 5%.
Transport
(tricycle, jeepney, habal- habal, padyak)
Vendors
(from market to street to home-based)
Agricultural
(farmers, fishermen)
Tourism
(farmers, fishermen)
Kababaihan
Senior Citizens
Disaster Victims
Student Councils
PTK Goal
The PTK program aims to empower ordinary Filipinos and MSMEs who have banded together as community-based cooperatives or associations by providing them with capital for microloans and livelihoods. These groups are from various sectors, including transport (tricycle, jeepney, habal-habal, padyak), vendors (from market to street to home-based), farmers, fishermen, tour guides (horse jockeys and whale shark boatmen), factory workers, local politicians (kagawad), disaster victims, student councils, women, and senior citizens. These partner groups have implemented their own “PTK Kontra 5-6” loan program in which they lend money to their members at low interest rates not exceeding 5%.
3 Pillars of PTK
Provide easy access to loans with low-interest rates (3–5%)
No collaterals, no guarantors, and no pile loads of documentary requirements are needed.
Establish sustainable and revenue-generating projects from the loan profits.
The profits from interest rates can be used as support for livelihood diversification projects.
Independent management of funds by local partners
Allowing them to quickly adapt to any local situation or crisis, and empowering the locals to create a system that works for them.
PTK through the Years
Over the years, 224 PTK groups have been established across the Philippines, with a total membership of more than 164,000. Over 200 groups (90%) have successfully and independently run the program, generating a minimum of PHP 15M in total profits.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected all groups and sectors. Their PTK fund served as their lifeline and “bayanihan” fund, as they were able to provide in-kind and financial aid to members in dire need. Thus, the PTK program has proven to be effective even during the unprecedented global crisis.
In 2026, PTK expanded to 235 groups. The 11 new groups have received aid to support their livelihood and augment their main source of income.
The program has held aid distribution events in several provinces and cities across the Philippines, reaching 21,907 PTK beneficiaries. Alongside these efforts, 235 PTK groups have been established across various areas, strengthening local coordination and expanding the reach of timely assistance and community-based support to those most in need.
| Top 5 Sectors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Transport
(TODA / JODA / Tricykads) |
118 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2 |
Market Associations |
49 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
3 |
Agriculture (Farmers, Fisherfolks) |
42 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
4 |
Kababaihan |
10 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
5 |
Others |
16 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Map Legend / Color Code
- Areas with Program Impact
- Areas Not Yet Reached
- No. of Beneficiaries
Advantages of the PTK Program
- Provided better opportunities for local small-scale businessmen and aspiring entrepreneurs to expand or start their own businesses.
- Cater to the daily needs of their families.
- Helps in creating opportunities for them but it is the people themselves who are making it work – allowing them to experience hands-on training in managing f inances.
Strategies and methods used to utilize the fund
- Micro-lending with a low percentage of interest.
- Buy units of jeepneys/tricycles for the group.
- Used as capital for their livelihood projects to increase production or to widen the diversity of their products.
- Distribute the money to members as a form of financial assistance especially to groups recovering from effects of natural and man-made disasters.
Legislative Initiative
In 2022, Senator Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 65 or the Puhunan Tungo sa Kaunlaran (PTK) Act, which seeks to establish two development and financial assistance programs for MSMEs.
- PTK Assistance Program for micro-enterprises in need of capital which provides cash grant for capital of MSMEs.
- PTK Five-Star Program for the development of MSMEs in all regions of the country
- Transforming MSMEs into five-star businesses by providing them with assistance and the necessary resources
- Priority business areas per region
- Five-Star award and shall be eligible for grants
- Free technical and administrative support, including, but not limited to, product development, skills and leadership training, packaging and design, quality control, market promotion
Senator Alan pointed in his bill that many Filipinos have the talent, skill, drive, and perseverance to run a good business. However, the lack of access to capital and affordable financing limits their opportunity to start their own business, and the same impediment hinders those who currently have businesses from expanding.
Related Articles
Kuya Alan, Ate Pia extend aid and livelihood opportunities in Cordillera
Senators Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano recently reached out to...
Presyo, Trabaho, Kita/Kaayusan (PTK): A Lending Program That Truly Empowers the Filipino
Quick and easy access to capital is key to improving...
Cayetano’s Commitment
Alan Peter Cayetano continues to advocate for PTK and related policies as part of his broader agenda to empower the Filipino workforce, support community-based enterprise growth, and promote inclusive economic development across the Philippines.