More alleged accounts of people spotting individuals emerging from sewers have appeared online, following a viral Reddit post about a woman seen coming out of a storm drain in Makati City.
Hobbyist photographer William Roberts, who goes by @iammrthirty on Instagram, gave people the surprise of their lives when he posted photos of a woman emerging from a drain at the corner of V.A. Rufino and Adelantado Streets.
Roberts on Monday, May 26, shared his unusual encounter in the “r/makati” subreddit, a community on Reddit for locals, workers, and roamers in the city.
He said the incident occurred after the magnitude 4.6 earthquake that shook parts of the metro, as he was walking home from the gym following a boxing session.
Around 5:30 p.m., Roberts stopped at a pedestrian corner and noticed a head emerging from a street drain near the curb.
“At first, I was stunned — like, is this actually happening? Then, when she fully crawled out, it felt like a scene from a movie—half surreal, half unsettling,” he said in an interview with SPOT.ph.
“It took me a moment to realize it was a person, and then pointed my camera right at them. She looked disoriented, maybe even panicked,” Roberts added.
He said the woman looked in his direction and smiled before running past him toward Amorsolo Street, with a man in uniform chasing after her.
Roberts said he lost sight of her “in the traffic and the crowd.”
He returned to the site around 2:30 a.m. and realized the drain was much larger than he had initially thought.
“The hole wasn’t as small as I had initially thought it was… The catch area of the canal was relatively spacious (almost as big as some rooms for rent in the city),” Roberts said.
“Even closer, you could see a pipe on the bottom of the catch. A pipe big enough for humans to crawl through,” he added.
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The next day, authorities repaired the crack on top of the drain. However, they admitted they were unsure where one of the large pipes inside the canal leads.
“I also mentioned reports of a similar situation near Makati Med [Makati Medical Center] and Blake’s. They acknowledged it but claimed that case was ‘different’ — a big drain near a creek, supposedly known for informal settlers staying inside,” Roberts said.
His post has prompted other Redditors to share similar encounters of individuals seen in storm drains.
“I remember napadaan ako diyan and there were 3 [three] guys coming out of that same drainage. Wala nga sila suot eh, and nagbihis lang sila after makalabas. That was maybe a year ago na,” someone said.
Another Redditor shared a photo of the “same corner” in December 2024.
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“Happened in our subdivision one time. Dito sa amin, may rotunda sa pinaka-gitna ng village. Dun sa rotunda, may manhole pero nakatakip naman na semento. One night, ‘di pa ganun ka-late, mga 9 p.m. Narinig ng guard na kumakalampag y’ung takip ng manhole,” another Reddit user wrote.
“So binuksan niya. May lumabas na tao, hahahaha. Lalaki siya, mapayat, tapos puro putik ‘yung katawan. ‘Yung expression sa mukha niya, ‘di mo mapinta. Hindi din siya makausap [nang] maayos. Sabi ng mga kapitbahay, baka holdaper o magnanakaw. Pero hindi namin alam kung saan siya nanggaling,” the user added.
Another Redditor shared a similar story about the drain in Makati.
“Pinakita ko ‘to sa friend ko na nakatira sa Makati and sabi niya, he witnessed the same thing just a few days ago. She just got out of the drain, walked, and talked to someone like it was normal. Maybe she lives in the sewers? Idk [I don’t know],” the online user wrote.
“Matagal nang may chismis dito sa Makati na may secret group ng mga tao na nakatira sa ilalim ng city, sa mga luma at abandonadong tunnels,” another Reddit user claimed.
“Hindi sila mga halimaw or kung anong weird na nilalang, normal na tao lang na piniling mamuhay sa ilalim. Sila raw ‘yung dahilan kung bakit may mga nawawala, lalo na ‘yung mga adik at homeless. Akala ng iba basta lang nawala or umalis, pero may nagsasabi na kinukuha sila at sinasali sa grupo,” the user added.
“‘Yung mga matatagal na sa area, alam na nila ‘to pero tahimik lang kasi may pamilya sila na parte ng grupo. Parang conspiracy lang pakinggan, pero ‘pag matagal ka na dito, mapapansin mo rin ‘yung mga kakaibang kilos ng mga tao tuwing gabi,” the Redditor said.
Others reported similar incidents occurring in Quezon City.
“I’m from QC [Quezon City]. A Grab driver once told me snatchers and batang hamogs would dip into the sewer near Delta along West Ave., then emerge in the E. Rod [E. Rodriguez] area. Not sure if it’s true, but the story has stuck with me. Maybe what’s happening in the photos is something similar?” a Reddit user said.
Meanwhile, Roberts mentioned in the discussion thread that he had spoken to police officers around Legazpi and heard similar reports about people in the drains.
“They’ve seen people come out of drains late at night. Akala ko it was just to stop me from walking around at night. Totoo pala,” he wrote.
Another Redditor claimed to have seen the same woman from the drain walking in the streets of Makati on Wednesday, May 28.
“OKAY, UPDATE. I was on my way to work and saw her roaming around sa Pio, right in front of the Exportbank Plaza na parang local na street dweller. Parang wala naman investigation na naganap,” the user wrote.
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The photographer also shared an update about the incident, claiming that he “heard back from a source that spoke with the Makati Police.”
“Their investigation into the kanal and the person involved concluded that there was no clear evidence of the involvement of drugs or other narcotics in the situation,” Roberts wrote.
“It seemed like they are aware of the person’s persistent presence in the area. It is unclear whether there are plans moving forward to tackle the displacement of these individuals. That’s all I’ve got for now,” he added.
Reports said that authorities found various belongings of the woman inside the drainage system, which included pieces of cloth and steel.
The Makati City Police also identified her as a street dweller often seen roaming behind the Makati Medical Center.
“The Makati Police Station immediately coordinated with Makati Commercial Estate Association and immediately checked that said canal and installed a metal cover to the said opening to avoid the same incident,” the police report said.
The Makati Public Safety Department has also been directed to monitor the area closely.
