The distribution of the second tranche of cash aid under the government’s social amelioration program (SAP) has been given the go signal, Malacañang announced Monday.

The second tranche of financial aid will include the 12 million households that received the first tranche plus an additional five million households.

Malacañang also said that it expected the second tranche to reach beneficiaries faster using electronic means.

“[G]agamitin natin ang electronic ways para magbayad doon sa ating mga kababayan at tutulong na po ang Hukbong Sandatahan sa pagdi-distribute ng ayuda. Naniniwala naman po kami na mas mabilis na ang proseso kasi doon sa 12 million ay parehong mga pangalan naman po iyan,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque said.

Malacañang on May 23 ordered the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to include five million more households to the list of SAP beneficiaries.

Households under general community quarantine areas may also be eligible to receive the aid.

The SAP pays out P5,000 to P8,000 per month for two months to eligible families whose sources of income were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic. John Ezekiel J. Hirro