Woman crawls out of storm drain in shocking Manila street scene
A woman in Makati, Philippines was spotted crawling out of a storm drain on May 26.
PHOTO: Instagram/@iammrthirty
PUBLISHED ONMay 29, 2025 4:21 AMByDana LeongThe image of a young woman emerging from a storm drain in Makati City, Philippines has 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 Spot.ph.
"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 Spot.ph.
"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.
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 canal 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 Spot.ph.
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.
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