A “mole woman” crawling out of a sewer in broad daylight in Makati City in the Philippines has shocked bystanders and sparked a viral storm, drawing attention to the invisible homeless population living beneath the streets of one of the country’s wealthiest business districts.
The strange and haunting scene, captured in now-viral photographs, shows the woman, nicknamed “Rose” by local media, emerging from a drainage hole. Within hours, the image had spread across Reddit and Facebook, prompting a frenzy of speculation online.
But behind the meme-worthy moment was a real-life crisis. Rose, as it turns out, was one of many people living in Makati’s hidden network of underground tunnels.
The photographer who caught it all on camera was just passing by
Hobbyist photographer William Roberts, who works in software, captured the now-viral photographs.
In a comment made to the South China Morning Post’s This Week in Asia, Roberts said he was simply walking home when the bizarre moment unfolded.
“While waiting at a pedestrian light, (I saw a head) pop out of a canal. Since I was already taking photos, I framed her within the camera, kept taking photos, and she kept crawling out,” Roberts said.
A nearby police officer quickly spotted the woman and tried to question her, but she ran away.
“I just kept clicking until she started running towards me… then she just ran past me,” Roberts stated.
The viral photo led to online theories and a government response
Roberts posted his photos on Reddit and Instagram, where they quickly went viral. The post earned thousands of views and sparked wild speculation online, with some wondering if it was a publicity stunt.
Local media eventually dubbed the woman “Rose,” and authorities promptly launched a search for her.
When she was found, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) granted her PHP 80,000 (USD 1,435) in financial aid and even named her an “honorary social worker” so they could reach out to other street dwellers.
The real shock, however, came when Roberts and journalists learned that Rose wasn’t the only one living underground.
She was part of a group of about 15 people who had been taking shelter in a culvert by a creek near the Makati Medical Center, roughly a kilometer away.
“I spoke to (an officer from the Makati Central Estate Association) who admitted that they didn’t know where the pipes go,” Roberts said.
This Week in Asia visited the area and described piles of trash, a strong stench, and flooding from recent rain. Rose and the others were nowhere to be found, likely scared off by increased police patrols in the area.
Experts say the case speaks volumes about homelessness in Metro Manila
Gino Antonio Trinidad, a doctoral researcher on urban poor communities, said the viral moment captivated the public because of its novelty.
“A lot of us are familiar with street dwellers of our urban areas… but for a person to emerge literally out of a sewer in the capital region’s central business district is relatively new,” he said.
Trinidad also criticized the DSWD’s response as performative and temporary. His sentiments were shared by other netizens, many of whom were disappointed in the government agency.
Other Filipino netizens also turned Rose into a meme.
One post read, “Requirements to receive 80K from the government: a cutter and a drainage hole.”
Another joked, “Wish this happened to everyone. Maybe I should also crawl into a sewer.”
The reality for Manila’s homeless population is much darker
Arvin Dimalanta from the Philippine Resource Centre for Inclusive Development said Rose’s case has shed light on the country’s housing crisis.
A 2023 study by two non-governmental organizations estimated that there are about 4.5 million homeless Filipinos. Of this number, two-thirds live in Metro Manila.
The pandemic made things worse. Lockdowns led to massive job losses and pushed many further into poverty.
Despite the existence of housing laws, Dimalanta stated that the Philippines still lacks a clear definition of homelessness, which means many people fall through the cracks.
This means that people like Rose, who live on the street, take odd jobs, or shelter in places like cemeteries and drains, are often treated as invisible.
Both Dimalanta and Trinidad argued that aid must go beyond cash handouts.
“We don’t even have a homeless shelter,” Dimalanta said. “It wouldn’t take much for local governments to set one up and help people back on their feet.”
