Businessman Christophe Bariou revealed that he and his girlfriend, actress Nadine Lustre, have been subjected to harassment after they turned down an alleged P50-million extortion attempt by representatives of unnamed local government officials of Siargao, where they are now based.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday, Oct. 11, Bariou decried the alleged acts of extortion and intimidation against him and his businesses in connection with the Union-Malinao Bridge project, which he and Lustre have been opposing.
The five-kilometer road stretch aimed to link barangays Union, Malinao and two other barangays at an elevation that would supposedly provide a scenic view of Siargao, but is being opposed by a number of civic groups and residents as it would allegedly displace “historical” local residents, threaten the livelihood of fisherfolk, and would cause environmental degradation.
The French-Filipino entrepreneur, who has been living in Siargao for the past 11 years, said corruption and political greed is “eating away” the province for decades, and said that government officials involved need to be held accountable.
“I am disgusted by the cycle of corruption, political bullying, both online and offline, and vote-buying funded by public money, all of which I have personally witnessed. For decades, these acts have rigged local elections, compromised the future of an entire generation, and damaged the environment, while those in power have weaponized the very institutions meant to protect it,” he said in his post.
Bariou said he has tried to fight back quietly and legally, trusting due process and the rule of law to prevail.
According to Bariou, he and Lustre were allegedly approached before the 2025 elections by “individuals representing certain politicians” asking them to cough up P50 million “in cash” if they want their business woes to be resolved following their opposition to the Union-Malinao Bridge project.
“Before the elections, individuals claiming to represent certain politicians approached Nadine and me, offering to ‘resolve’ the bridge issue if we provided P50 million in cash,” he recalled. “When that obviously failed, they proposed, ‘join us and support us during these local elections and… maybe we can sit down and talk about the bridge.’”
“Nadine’s answer was firm: ‘We don’t make deals with corruption… ever.’ It is now clearer how public money can be turned into a weapon during elections,” he continued.
Following the incident, Bariou revealed that he and his businesses were subjected to “waves of harassment,” which led him to file an anti-red tape complaint.
He added that he filed corruption-related cases before the Supreme Court and the Office of the Ombudsman in Davao. He also called the attention of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Vince Hizon to include Siargao “among their priorities” in the ongoing investigations of alleged corruption in the government agency. (Hannah Mallorca © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
