Photographer of viral Makati sewer incident uncovers underground community • PhilSTAR Life

The concerned citizen who took now-viral photos of a woman emerging from a Makati sewer discovered that she was among a group of individuals who had established a community in an underground network.

Last May 26, William Roberts shared photos of a woman emerging from a sewer at the corner of V.A. Rufino and Adelantado Streets on Reddit. Authorities later found the woman and sealed the drainage.

William wasn't planning to continue posting about it, but another Reddit user claimed to have seen the same woman in different clothes.

"Why is she roaming free if there was an investigation? The questions lingered in my head," he wrote in another Reddit post.

He decided to go back to the area, hoping to spot the woman again.

William, a software worker who also enjoys photography and writing, walked around the Legazpi, Rufino, and Amorsolo streets. While he was out taking pictures, he noticed a creek flanked by two culverts.

"And as I had just turned off the camera to reposition for a different angle. In the corner of my eye, out of one of the pipes. A foot. Sandals," he said.

William waited for 45 minutes until he saw a hand and, finally, a man, whom he'd know as Jerwin.

William Roberts discovered a community of individuals staying in a Makati sewer days after the woman he had taken a photo of went viral. Courtesy of William Roberts

Three years underneath

Jerwin asked William if he was a cop, and he responded in the negative. After they talked for a bit, William learned that Jerwin had been living in the sewer for three years. Jerwin used to work as a delivery driver and lived at his boss' place, but he had to evacuate after his boss died.

Later, another person named Rommel joined their conversation.

William had the opportunity to talk to Jerwin after waiting by one of the pipes for 45 minutes. Courtesy of William Roberts

Rommel's previous residence, an informal settlement on the edge of the city, had been demolished for a new project, William said.

Jerwin said their group of 15 individuals has been staying at "Botanical Garden," their name for the creek beside Makati Medical Center. The two culverts flanking the mouth of the creek were shallow and didn't lead anywhere, just a few small holes where the sewage trickled out.

But the creek itself, according to them, stretches to Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati.

"There’s another group that lives down the Don Bosco side. Different people, different rules," William said.

Jerwin explained that they don't live in the canals—they only hide in them when there's sunlight and police around. They also use them to stash a few things.

Viral woman identified as 'BB'

The woman who initially went viral was identified as BB. William noted that on the day her photos spread online, she was resting when the sound of traffic woke her.

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."

"So she crawled out of the kanal—just like that," William said. "No master plan. No escape plot."

On May 29, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said it had located the woman and was assessing what assistance it could provide.

The woman who originally went viral would be later known as "BB." Courtesy of William Roberts

Swapping stories, 'Jolly Jeep'

William shared that they exchanged stories and jokes. He also treated them to a meal from a Jolly Jeep, a motorized food truck selling ulam and rice. Most of the time, they would only have "altanghap," or almusal-tanghalian-hapunan in one go.

He also spoke with the Jolly Jeep staff, who mentioned that Rommel's group sometimes helped out, did odd jobs, and scavenged items for the stalls.

Just before William left, he recalled seeing them "calling out to their friends, family, their community—pulling them out from the shadows of the culvert."

William treats Jerwin and their community to a "Jolly Jeep." Courtesy of William Roberts

"I recognized BB among them," he said. "And for the first time, as I locked eyes with her, I wasn’t overwhelmed by fear, or confusion, or dread."

In concluding his post, William noted that it wasn't a story about drugs, crime, or poverty porn, but about people and a community.

"It’s about the cracks we cover up with concrete," he said, "the faces we ignore when they crawl out of the kanal."

A plea to the government

In an audio interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, William described his unexpected experience of talking with Jerwin's group and forming a bond with them. "When I got there, I didn't really plan on posting anymore," he said. "It was more of a closure for myself. I wanted to see what was there. I didn't expect talking to anyone in conversation."

William said he went inside the pipe, though he didn't go through the creek as the water was knee-high. He also underscored that he didn't see anything illegal down there like weapons or drugs, contrary to some assumptions, but there were "lots of lighters."

"They don't have phones to use as flashlights. Maybe they're using the lighters for something else, but they didn't confirm nor did I see anything," he said.

William noted his post wasn't a story about drugs, crime, or poverty porn, but about people and a community. Courtesy of William Roberts

.

William, however, noted in his post that Jerwin admitted to using the underground network "to stash things they shouldn’t."

"My thought process there is them, regardless of criminal intent or behavior, I think it still should be more about why they were pushed to be in a situation like that," William told L!fe. "There's only so much a human being can take. People can snap."

William stated that Jerwin's group was aware of their situation gaining media attention and expected their conversation with him would likely go viral again, prompting them to convey a message to the authorities.

"They wanted an opportunity to live properly," William said. "A lot of them lived normal Filipino lives. As close to normal as possible. They want an opportunity to do that again."

"If they could, they wouldn't live under the creek and sleep in canals," he added. "They wouldn't do altanghap."

'Detaches the humanity'

William expressed disappointment to people who turned his photos into memes, saying "It detaches the humanity of the subject."

He also lamented how the local government had been acting on the situation even before his post became viral.

"It's a little disheartening. I am not the first person to take a photo of a person coming out of the canal. Others already did it, they just didn't go viral," he said.

Since the post trended, William has been receiving hundreds of messages, including threats.

"It's both funny and scary," he said.

He also dismissed claims that he's a clout-chaser and was romanticizing poverty, especially because he post-processed the photos before uploading them.

"What matters, my intent or the impact it made?" he said. "There are also those who criticize me for color grading the photo, but people would have probably ignored it if it looked a certain way. I didn't think it would go national news. I didn't mean for it to be accepted that way."

In the end, William made sure to do more than just take photos, he also contacted the proper authorities.

"I pestered a lot of the LGUs. I made sure a lot of stakeholders who needed to be officially involved—like the DSWD, DPWH, MMDA, and Makati City Hall—understood. I contacted them anonymously," he said. "I didn't get real responses, but I sent texts, emails, and calls."

William noted that under the best circumstances, he shouldn't have been taking such photos to begin with.

"I shouldn't have been able to make this post at all," he said. "There shouldn't be a sequel, but, unfortunately, there will be. People are treating this as a teleserye, but it's not. It's people's lives."