DSWD: Don’t make fun of ‘Rose’
DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian —File photo
MANILA, Philippines — Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian asked the public on Tuesday not to make “Rose” (not her real name) the subject of online jokes and memes and to be more sensitive to the plight of the vulnerable sector.
“Right now, she sees that (her story) is becoming a meme. She said please don’t [turn] her story [into] a joke [because it hurts],” Gatchalian said in a radio interview.
The trash collector who went viral on social media after she was captured on video emerging from a sewer in Makati earlier received P80,000 in livelihood aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
READ: DSWD: P80,000 given to woman who crawled out of sewer ‘not a reward’
The assistance, part of the DSWD’s Oplan Pag-Abot program that was launched in 2023, provides intervention to street dwellers and mendicants to allow them to get back on their feet.
Gatchalian said in a series of posts on X that Rose was a PET bottle recycler who was collecting garbage when her “blade cutter” fell through the sewer grate, forcing her to retrieve it.
Amid criticisms that the aid given to Rose was “excessive” and “unjustified,” Gatchalian said that it was “well within the guidelines” of the program, which grants assistance ranging from P10,000 to P80,000.
Other forms of aid, depending on the beneficiary’s case, include transitory shelter and food, livelihood, employment, as well as transportation and relocation back to their hometown.
In a press briefing at Malacañang, Gatchalian further explained that the assistance for Rose was not a one-time cash giveaway but was released in tranches—a process closely supervised by social workers.
“I just want to clarify that social media post that went viral: the P80,000 was based on DSWD guidelines and the assessment of the social worker,” he said.
“This has conditions … It’s not as if it’s given to her then, goodbye,” he said.
According to Gatchalian, over 5,000 individuals and families have received similar assistance under the same program, with varying amounts depending on their assessed needs.
Under the arrangement, social workers accompany beneficiaries like Rose during initial purchases for a livelihood program—in her case, stocks for opening a small retail store—and continue to monitor her through home visits to ensure the aid is being used appropriately.
Gatchalian also assured the public that other vulnerable groups, including informal settlers with no steady income, can seek help from the DSWD through other programs like the Sustainable Livelihood Program, which provides either small business capital or skills training to improve employability. /cb
