DSWD defends move to give P80,000 to woman in viral Makati sewer incident
The Department of Social Welfare and Development defended its decision to give P80,000 to the viral woman coming out of a sewer in Makati in broad daylight.
In a news forum, DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said that the woman, identified as Rose, is among the families and individuals in street situations (FISS) that the agency had profiled for assistance under the Pag-Abot Program.
The program aims to connect street dwellers to social services. To date, about 3,000 families have received assistance.
“When we got in touch with her, she was surprised to know that there is aid that can be extended to her,” Dumlao said.
Dumlao noted that since FISS members have no permanent address, most of them haven't benefited from the likes of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.
“In addition, she has no children below 18 years old to qualify," she said.
Dumlao noted that Rose underwent a case management process, in which social workers interviewed and assessed her.
“When social workers asked Rose what she wants, she said she wants a sari-sari store to start her life over,” The Philippine STAR quoted Dumlao as saying.
They learned that Rose earns P300 daily from scavenging, while her partner, a jeepney barker, makes P200 a day. They have since rented a small space for P2,000 monthly after living in the streets.
“Our social workers saw that they know how to budget. We want to build up on those competencies,” Dumlao said.
Per Dumlao, street dwellers other than Rose received higher livelihood assistance before. She said some of them have returned to their home provinces to start businesses.
DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian said the P80,000 assistance that the DSWD had pledged for Rose would be given in tranches, depending on how she manages the initial assistance she would receive.
“If we see that the business goes well, we will increase the assistance until we reach the whole amount of P80,000,” Gatchalian said.
They called on the public to refer cases like Rose's to the DSWD.
Viral sewer incident
In a viral May 26 Reddit post titled Mole People?, photographer William Roberts shared pictures of Rose emerging from the hole located at the corner of V.A. Rufino and Adelantado Streets.
Makati City Police Station Chief Jean Dela Torre claimed in a May 28 press conference that the woman is a mendicant and has turned the drainage into a home. Authorities discovered several things in it, including pliers, small objects, and shirts.
According to Makati police, three individuals have been using the drainage system in the city as a temporary shelter aside from Rose. They cited a closed-circuit television footage on May 26 at 4 p.m. showing that in under a minute, three people were able to enter a hole in a canal at the same hole where the viral woman had been spotted. They found tools like a screwdriver, pliers, a wrench, and other metal objects inside, and have been considering the possibility of ongoing illegal activities.
Additional investigation revealed that the drainage is connected to a nearby creek and might also be linked to another system along Amorsolo Street. That, the police said, could be an alternate route for these individuals.
In a later post, William recalled seeing the woman again, whom he said was called "BB." According to him, BB (or Rose, according to authorities) was resting underneath when the sound of traffic woke her. She went out of the hole as she reportedly didn't want to miss their group's scheduled 5 p.m. meal, which consisted of "whatever scraps they'd managed to gather for the day."
In his post, William also said that BB was among a group of individuals who had established a community in an underground network.
Last May 29, the DSWD shared photos of its staff talking to the then-unidentified Rose, who can be seen crying.
Appearing in public after that, the woman denied living inside the drainage, saying she only went inside after supposedly dropping her "cutter blade" there.
