Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian appealed to the public to stop making Rose—the woman who went viral for crawling out of a Makati sewer—the focus of ridicule by posting negative comments, jokes, and memes in the “wild west” of social media.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) chief in a radio interview reminded the public, particularly netizens, that words can hurt and further cause harm to vulnerable people wanting to change their lives.
Gatchalian said reaching out to Rose and others who are in the same plight is the very reason why the DSWD’s Pag-abot Program was institutionalized through Executive Order 52 in 2024 and has become a department priority.
He stressed that Rose’s case was not unique, citing over 5,000 individuals and families assisted under Pag-abot.
The provision of P80,000 in livelihood assistance to Rose was also based on the assessment of the social worker handling her case and was well within the guidelines set by the program, with the cash aid ranging from a minimum of P10,000 and a maximum of P80,000.
