Businessman Christophe Bariou revealed that he and Nadine Lustre experienced this.
Award-winning actress Nadine Lustre and her partner, businessman Christophe Bariou, have experienced harassment after doing this.
Businessman Christophe Bariou recently shared a lengthy Instagram post revealing the alleged acts of extortion and intimidation directed at him and his businesses in connection with the controversial Union-Malinao Bridge project.
He and his girlfriend, actress Nadine Lustre, have been vocal about their opposition to the project, consistently advocating for sustainable development and the protection of Siargao’s natural beauty.
The project aims to create a five-kilometre road stretch, linking Barangays Union, Malinao and two other barangays at an elevation. This is supposed to give people a scenic view of Siargao. However, Lustre and Bariou, along with a number of civic groups and residents, oppose this, as this would allegedly force long-time local residents to relocate, endanger the livelihood of fisherfolk, and lead to environmental damage.
The French-Filipino businessman, who has lived in Siargao for 11 years, said that corruption and political greed have been ruining the province for many years. He also added that the government officials involved should be held responsible for their actions.
In the same post, he shared that he and Nadine were approached by people claiming to represent some politicians, who allegedly asked them to pay ₱50 million in cash to fix their business problems after they spoke out against the Union-Malinao Bridge project.
They failed, and recalled Nadine firmly saying, “We don’t make deals with corruption… ever.”
He added, “It is now clearer how public money can be turned into a weapon during elections.”
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