Does the ‘Mole Woman’ Deserve P80K? We’re Asking the Wrong Question

After photos of a “mole woman” coming out of a drain in Makati City went viral last week, the woman is now set to receive P80,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The agency’s cash aid drew mixed reactions from the public and even turned into a meme, raising questions of whether the cash aid is justified.

In a Teleradyo interview on Monday, June 2, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said that the cash aid is part of the agency’s Pag-Abot Program. According to the DSWD website, the program involves government social workers “roaming around Metro Manila” to convince street dwellers to let the agency give them the assistance they need to “get back on their feet.”

In the case of “Rose,” the alias the agency gave the woman from the viral photos, the P80,000 was determined to be enough to help her start her own sari-sari store. DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said in a Gud Morning Kapatid episode on Tuesday morning, June 3, that the cash aid will be given in tranches, and that Rose will put up her sari-sari store in Pasay City.

The Makati local government unit and Makati Central Estate Association (MACEA) have not yet publicly addressed the viral photos.

Netizens criticized the DSWD for the cash assistance. One X user said there are others more “deserving” of the P80,000, echoing other sentiments online and even in a recent episode of the noontime show It’s Showtime.

“Sana it comes with education on how to use the money,” said host Anne Curtis, acknowledging that the money will be used as livelihood assistance.

“They can come up with a more effective solution to that problem,” said Vice Ganda. “It’s a Band-Aid solution.”

Responding to criticism of the cash aid, Gatchalian said on Teleradyo, “The P80,000 did not come from thin air, but rather it came from a set of guidelines, like all our programs here in the DSWD. There were guidelines, and all that went through the careful review of social workers before the amount to be given is determined.” He also denied giving Rose “special treatment” due to the popularity of her case.

In an Inquirer.net report, he said, “Our intervention with Rose is that she dreams of owning a store, and according to our social worker’s assessment, she is capable of it.” According to the report, the DSWD also plans to help Rose’s partner, Jerome, who knows welding.

‘Deserving’ Financial Assistance

Gatchalian also appealed to the public to stop ridiculing Rose for receiving the cash aid. “Sa ngayon, nakikita niya nagiging meme na siya, ‘yong storya niya,” he said. “Sabi niya sana ‘wag gawing biro ‘yong storya niya.”

He added that criticism should instead be directed towards the agency. “Ang panawagan ko nga is kami sa DSWD kung kami ‘yong tinatanong, kami ang kinikwestion, kami ‘yong ginagawang meme, tanggap namin. Kasi that’s part of public service. Obligasyon namin sumagot.”

The DSWD’s response thus far fails to acknowledge that Rose’s — and other street dwellers’ — poverty stems from unstable employment that leaves them without shelter and secure food sources. As of 2020, 57,281 Filipinos lived in relocation areas while 12,615 were considered homeless, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Census of Population and Housing. That same year, unemployment reached 17.6 percent, though this number has been in decline since then.

In the long run, helping people like Rose entails empowering the labor force and strengthening workers’ rights so that they can maintain a livelihood. It also means making socialized housing more accessible to low-income families and individuals.

So, does Rose “deserve” cash aid? By the assessment of her case workers, yes, she is determined and fit to make her sari-sari store work. But she doesn’t deserve financial assistance because she came out of a sewer, like the memes and jokes online like to imply. She deserves it just like everyone else deserves to make a livelihood that gives them access to basic needs. The question is whether similar cases such as this will be given the same priority and swift action by the government.