Philippines’ ‘mole people’ highlight plight of homeless living under the radar
Photos of a woman crawling out of a sewer have sparked debate on the lack of help and authorities’ punitive approach towards those living on the streets
First, a head emerged from a drain hole in broad daylight. Then came arms and legs.
Like a scene out of a horror film, such was the eerie image that unfolded when a woman was spotted crawling out of a sewer on the corner of the streets of Adelantado and VA Rufino, one of the busiest areas in the financial district of Makati City in the Philippines.
The photo, which had quickly gone viral online and was later published by several local media outlets, was taken by a hobbyist photographer, who asked to be identified by the alias William Roberts.
Roberts told This Week in Asia he was taking photos around the area while walking home as part of his regular routine when the scene unfolded before his eyes.
“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, who works in the software industry, told This Week in Asia.
As soon as the woman fully emerged from the canal, a police officer nearby spotted her and demanded to know what she was doing.
“I just kept clicking until she started running towards me … then she just ran past me,” he said.