We said she was a ghost. Remember that? We posted it. We laughed. We exorcised her with captions. Called her Ghost of Rufino like she wasn’t real. Like her pain was entertainment.

Because it’s easier to imagine monsters underground than face the possibility this was a mental health crisis. And we’d still rather seal manholes than understand why someone might enter.

We built conspiracy theories. Maps. Tunnels. Cities below. Maybe people aren’t breaking into manholes. Maybe they’re escaping everything else.

It’s easy to mock the sewer until you realize someone lives there. She lived underground. You live in your head. We all have our hiding places.

“Crazy” is just what we say when we don’t want to understand.

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VIBES: Some people talk about mental health. A few brave ones. Mostly underfunded, overworked, ignored. But as a country? Not until someone climbs out of a sewer. And now we’re crying. Are you happy, Philippines? You made Trib cry.