A look at Manila's 'underground community' under Osmeña Highway

An underground community in Barangay 738, Manila, has recently gone viral after being featured by foreign journalists. The community – composed of around 50 individuals – lives under the Osmeña Highway and is said to have been established back in the 1990s.

In JP Soriano’s special report on “24 Oras” on Monday, the community – nestled in a tunnel under the Osmeña Highway – lives within spaces of less than 1.5 meters in height and a width of less than a meter, making it hard for residents to pass by each other.

“So, ingat lang po kasi merong wire… Ito ‘yung live wire, kung saan po kasi yung iba naka-tap po kaming lahat. Sa may labasan may voluntary pong submetering po kami para kahit papaano naman po nagbabayad kami nang tama,” said Jaya Vergara, a barangay leader, while walking through the tunnel.

(So, just be careful because of the wire... This is the live wire that we are tapping. We have a voluntary sub-meter near the exit so that, somehow, we are paying our fair share.)

Jaya said they are cautious of the children reaching out to touch the live wires.

Living spaces

The houses, called ‘units,’ are smaller and more cramped than the main passageway.

In Erlinda Vergara’s unit, the space between the bed to the concrete roof under the Osmeña Highway is less than a meter.

Erlinda said she has lived there since 1990. It was the same space where she built a life, raised eight children and 14 grandchildren.

Today, she shares the space with one of her children and her six-month-old grandchild, Baby Polen.

“Napaka-init, hindi ka makatulog dahil sa sobrang init. Pagka baha dito, pumapasok po ang tubig diyan. Lumalabas ang mga daga, ipis, alupihan mga basura na galing doon pupunta dito,” Erlinda said.

(It’s incredibly hot – you can’t sleep because of the intense heat. When it floods, the water comes rushing in right there. Rats, cockroaches, and centipedes come crawling out, and all the garbage from over there washes right in here.)

The units have appliances such as electric fans and TV sets. Residents pay between P700 to P1,000 a month to their neighbors who let them tap their power lines.

They use water for free as they managed to connect to water pipes in other parts of the barangay. They use it for various purposes, including drinking.

All units share two common bathrooms that are a meter tall. The comfort rooms’ toilets are directly connected to a creek below the community.

Government aid

Despite having lived underground for a long time, Erlinda still hopes to get housing assistance from the government.

“Nangangarap din po ako sa sarili ko na sana balang araw mabigyan naman kami dito ng pansin na magkaroon kami ng sariling bahay, dahil siyempre lumalaki na [ang] mga apo ko at saka tumatanda na ako,” she said.

(I also dream for myself that someday we will finally be noticed and given our own home, because of course, my grandchildren are growing up, and I am getting old.)

Barangay officials said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other national government agencies are coordinating with the community for a permanent and safe relocation.

Barangay Chairman Donato Isidoro said the underground community had been relocated to Cabuyao City, Laguna before.

But there were no jobs for them there, forcing them to return to their underground units.

The Manila City local government has yet to respond regarding its plans for the residents of the underground community. — Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/JMA, GMA News