DSWD defends woman who crawled out of sewer: 鈥楧on鈥檛 make her a meme鈥�
A woman is seen crawling out of a Makati City sewer at the corner of Rufino and Adelantado Streets in Salcedo Village, Barangay Bel-Air on Monday afternoon, May 26, 2025. (Photo from RoughMasterpiecei/Reddit)
MANILA, Philippines — Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian has appealed to the public to stop making memes about the woman who crawled out of a sewer.
Gatchalian said the woman is hurt that her story now seems like a joke to others.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently gave P80,000 cash assistance to the woman, identified by the alias “Rose,” which she used to start a small sari-sari store.
The story emerged after a netizen spotted her crawling out of a sewer at the corner of Rufino and Adelantado Streets in Salcedo Village, Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City on May 26.
READ: Woman who crawled out of a sewer to get P80,000 worth of aid – DSWD
After Rose received the cash aid, netizens posted memes on social media, with some joking that they would also crawl out of a sewer to easily get P80,000.
‘She is hurt’
Gatchalian, in a statement on Tuesday, reminded netizens that “words can hurt and further cause harm to vulnerable people wanting to change their lives.”
He pointed out that the DSWD case manager of Rose told him on Sunday that the memes Rose and her partner saw on social media were painful for the couple.
“They said they didn’t ask for the P80,000. She didn’t intentionally go to the drainage. She didn’t come to us. It was just a coincidence that she was photographed,” Gatchalian emphasized.
“Now, she sees that she is becoming a meme, her story. She said she hopes people don’t make her story a joke. She is hurt. In fact, she knows everything that is happening,” he said.
The DSWD chief reiterated that they based the amount they gave to Rose on existing guidelines and assessments conducted by the social worker assigned to her.
READ: DSWD: P80,000 given to woman who crawled out of sewer ‘not a reward’
Gatchalian likewise said they would readily accept it if it is the DSWD that is getting criticized for its programs.
However, he said he hopes the public will “consider the welfare of the victims and of the clients who are currently facing various challenges in their lives.”
“We at DSWD, if we are the ones being asked, we are the ones being questioned, we are the ones being made into memes, we accept it,” Gatchalian said
“Because that’s part of public service. It is our obligation to answer. But not the victim because the victim has been through a lot, especially those like Rose who live on the street,” he explained.
“Can you imagine spending your whole life on the street, trying to get yourself out of being a garbage collector? You had no intention of getting that P80,000. It was given to you without asking for it,” the secretary said.
“If you remember her story, the reason why she disappeared one day after she was photographed –she didn’t want people talking about her because she just wanted a quiet and normal life,” he recalled.
“But now, they are talking about her again. It’s now the second time,” he noted./apl
