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AsiaOne
3 days ago
- AsiaOne
Woman crawls out of storm drain in shocking Manila street scene, Asia News
The image of a young woman emerging from a storm drain in Makati City, Philippine have gone viral on Reddit, sparking a greater debate on homelessness and security within the country. The photos were captured by William Roberts, an amateur street photographer, and uploaded to his personal Instagram page on Tuesday (May 27). The uncanny scene unfolded before his eyes on Monday at around 5.30pm when he was walking home after a gym session, he told the online magazine site View this post on Instagram A post shared by William Roberts (@iammrthirty) "Just at the corner of VA Rufino and Adelantado, I saw something that made me freeze — a head coming out of a street drain," his caption read. As she emerged from the drain, she turned towards Roberts and smiled, running past him when a man in uniform started to chase her. Onlookers, including motorcyclists and a traffic enforcer on the scene, were similarly "stunned, confused, maybe even a little amused", he wrote. Roberts went back to the drain later that night and found that "the catch area of the canal was relatively spacious", he told "Even closer, you could see a pipe on the bottom of the catch. A pipe big enough for humans to crawl through," he added. Roberts also returned to the site on Tuesday, where he spotted Makati City Central Estate Association, Inc. and Makati Public Safety Department) authorities patching up the crack in the canal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by William Roberts (@iammrthirty) The action taken by the authorities was in response to his viral post, he said. Photography on-site was prohibited, though officials allowed Roberts to snap some shots According to Roberts, the authorities also "admitted something chilling: they don't know where the pipes inside the kanal lead to". Police investigation underway Makati City Police have since launched a formal investigation into the incident, according to a press conference held on Wednesday. Based on CCTV footage of the incident, Makati City Police Station Chief Police Colonel Jean Dela Torre said that the woman exhibited signs of mental illness. Police also found pliers, makeshift attachments, and clothing items inside the canal, reported Makati City Police have also stepped up patrolling efforts in the vicinity, and are working with the Makati Social Welfare Department for possible intervention and assistance. Social workers from Barangay San Lorenzo have also been patrolling the area to locate the woman. "A reminder that Makati's streets hold more stories than we sometimes care to see — and that behind the high rises and the hustle, there are people who live between the cracks — literally," Robert said. According to a study done by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2018, there are over 4.5 million homeless people in the Philippines, with about two-thirds of them living in Manila. Some netizens on Reddit have also raised questions about the potential security risks these canals pose, also saying that they have seen similar incidents of people emerging from the drains. Others also alluded to the social issue of homelessness in the Philippines and spoke about the risks of flooding if people were to get trapped in there. [[nid:718401]]
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Mystery woman emerges from the deep
Viral escape: The woman crawling out of a storm drain in Manila. — Photo taken from social media A woman was seen crawling out of a storm drain on a busy street in Manila's main financial district in a scene straight out of a horror movie about a deep well-dwelling, spectral serial killer. Images that have gone viral in the Philippines show a lithe, young woman pulling herself out of the drain at around 5pm on Monday at a street corner in Makati city. Her dress and denim shorts were caked with grime, and her hair was long, unwashed and streaked with dirt and dried leaves. As she made her way out of the drain, her head turned to the man taking her photos. She smiled and, after crawling out of the hole, ran towards him as a motorist wearing a military-style uniform chased her. 'She ran past me, the military guy in pursuit. Pedestrians, motorcyclists, and even the traffic enforcer, just stood there, stunned, confused, maybe even a little amused,' William, who posted the woman's photos on his Instagram account under the name iammrthirty, told online magazine His photos have been seen by close to two million viewers on YouTube and Facebook. William, an amateur street photographer, said the hole the woman crawled out of was wider than the typically narrow storm drain. 'The catch area of the canal was relatively spacious (almost as big as some rooms for rent in the city) ... Even closer, you could see a pipe on the bottom of the catch, a pipe big enough for humans to crawl through,' he told He said he went back a day later and saw city officials and security guards repaving the street corner where the storm drain was. He said they told him they did not know where the pipe where the woman hid in leads to. — The Straits Times/ANN
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
#NSTviral: Woman crawls out of drain on busy street
KUALA LUMPUR: A woman was spotted crawling out of a storm drain on a busy street in Makati, a scene eerily reminiscent of a horror film. The Straits Times reported that a photo of the woman, taken on May 26 at around 5pm, went viral The young woman, covered in grime and leaves, was seen emerging from the drain, turning to smile at the man photographing her before running off. "She ran past me, the military guy in pursuit. "A few pedestrians, motorcyclists, and even the traffic enforcer just stood there, stunned, confused, maybe even a little amused," said William, who posted the woman's photos on his Instagram account under the name iammrthirty. He was quoted by the online magazine as reported by The Straits Times. William, an amateur street photographer, said the drain's opening was unusually wide, with a pipe inside large enough for a person to crawl through. He returned the next day to find officials repaving the area. He said that they told him they didn't know where the pipe led. Authorities believe the woman may be among the many homeless people sheltering in Manila's sewer systems. Metro Manila, home to 14 million people, has over three million homeless individuals, some living in storm drains, cemeteries or makeshift carts known as kariton. According to The Borgen Project, homelessness in the Philippines is often driven by poverty, violence, trafficking and natural disasters, with women and children especially vulnerable to abuse. "The photos are a reminder that Makati's streets hold more stories than we sometimes care to see. "Behind the high-rises and the hustle, there are people who live between the cracks, literally," William said.
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
In macabre street scene, woman in the Philippines crawls out of storm drain
A street photographer taking photos of the woman crawling out of a storm drain in Manila's main financial district. - IAMMRTHIRTY/ INSTAGRAM MANILA: A woman was seen crawling out of a storm drain on a busy street in Manila's main financial district in a scene straight out of a horror movie about a deep well-dwelling, spectral serial killer. Images that have gone viral in the Philippines show a lithe, young woman pulling herself out of the drain at around 5pm on Monday (May 2) at a street corner in Makati city. Her dress and denim shorts were caked with grime, and her hair was long, unwashed and streaked with dirt and dried leaves. As she made her way out of the drain, her head turned to the man taking her photos. She smiled and, after crawling out of the hole, ran towards him as a motorist wearing a military-style uniform chased her. 'She ran past me, the military guy in pursuit. A few pedestrians, motorcyclists, and even the traffic enforcer, just stood there, stunned, confused, maybe even a little amused,' William, who posted the woman's photos on his Instagram account under the name iammrthirty, told the online magazine site He declined to give his full name. His photos have been seen by close to two million viewers on YouTube and Facebook when they were picked up by local TV network GMA News. William, an amateur street photographer, said the hole the woman crawled out of was wider than the typically narrow storm drain. 'The catch area of the canal was relatively spacious (almost as big as some rooms for rent in the city)… Even closer, you could see a pipe on the bottom of the catch, a pipe big enough for humans to crawl through,' he told He said he went back a day later and saw city officials and security guards repaving the street corner where the storm drain was. He said they told him they did not know where the pipe where the woman hid leads to. The city officials said they have seen vagrants and street dwellers taking shelter in sewer tunnels near creeks, and the woman may have been part of this largely unseen, often ignored cohort. There are over three million homeless people across Metro Manila – a sprawling metropolis of 16 cities with a combined population of some 14 million. They live in shanties, makeshift pushcarts colloquially known as 'kariton', and wherever they can find shelter: by the side of the road, in cemeteries, and apparently in storm drains and sewage tunnels. The Borgen Project – a US-based non-profit – said extreme poverty, domestic violence, human trafficking and natural disasters are the usual push-factors behind homelessness in the Philippines. Women and children who are homeless are particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of battery, domestic abuse, trafficking or exploitation, it said. William, the street photographer, said the images he took are 'a reminder that Makati's streets hold more stories than we sometimes care to see - and that behind the high rises and the hustle, there are people who live between the cracks - literally'. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
In macabre street scene, woman in the Philippines crawls out of storm drain
A street photographer takes photos of a woman crawling out of a storm drain in Manila's main financial district. PHOTOS: IAMMRTHIRTY/INSTAGRAM In macabre street scene, woman in the Philippines crawls out of storm drain A woman was seen crawling out of a storm drain on a busy street in Manila's main financial district in a scene straight out of a horror movie about a deep well- dwelling , spectral serial killer. Images that have gone viral in the Philippines show a lithe, young woman pulling herself out of the drain at around 5pm on May 26 at a street corner in Makati city. Her dress and denim shorts were caked with grime, and her hair was long, unwashed and streaked with dirt and dried leaves. As she made her way out of the drain, her head turned to the man taking her photos. She smiled and, after crawling out of the hole, ran towards him as a motorist wearing a military-style uniform chased her. 'She ran past me, the military guy in pursuit. A few pedestrians, motorcyclists, and even the traffic enforcer, just stood there, stunned, confused, maybe even a little amused,' William, who posted the woman's photos on his Instagram account under the name iammrthirty, told the online magazine site He declined to give his full name. His photos have been seen by close to two million viewers on YouTube and Facebook when they were picked up by local TV network GMA News. William, an amateur street photographer, said the hole the woman crawled out of was wider than the typically narrow storm drain. 'The catch area of the canal was relatively spacious (almost as big as some rooms for rent in the city)… Even closer, you could see a pipe on the bottom of the catch, a pipe big enough for humans to crawl through,' he told He said he went back a day later and saw city officials and security guards repaving the street corner where the storm drain was. He said they told him they did not know where the pipe where the woman hid leads to. The city officials said they have seen vagrants and street dwellers taking shelter in sewer tunnels near creeks, and the woman may have been part of this largely unseen, often ignored cohort. There are over three million homeless people across Metro Manila – a sprawling metropolis of 16 cities with a combined population of some 14 million. They live in shanties, makeshift pushcarts colloquially known as 'kariton', and wherever they can find shelter: by the side of the road, in cemeteries, and apparently in storm drains and sewage tunnels. The Borgen Project – a US-based non-profit – said extreme poverty, domestic violence, human trafficking and natural disasters are the usual push-factors behind homelessness in the Philippines. Women and children who are homeless are particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of battery, domestic abuse, trafficking or exploitation, it said. William, the street photographer, said the images he took are 'a reminder that Makati's streets hold more stories than we sometimes care to see - and that behind the high rises and the hustle, there are people who live between the cracks - literally'. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
