Prior to launching his joint business with his girlfriend Nadine Lustre last year, Filipino-French businessman Christophe Bariou had already been in multiple business ventures which include a luxury resort, a restaurant, and a wine company.
Last October 11, Christophe revealed a big problem on the island he has called home for the past 11 years. He wrote, “Corruption and political greed have been eating away at Siargao for decades.”
In his lengthy Instagram post, Christophe called for accountability from their local government and revealed that he and Nadine have recently been victims of harassment after they declined an alleged ₱50 million extortion attempt by representatives of unnamed local government officials on the island in connection to a local project that he and the actress have been openly opposing.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday, October 11, Christophe decried the alleged acts of extortion and intimidation against him and his businesses in connection with the Union-Malinao Bridge project, which he and Nadine have been opposing.
He wrote, “I have lived here for 11 years, always striving to contribute something positive to the island and to the livelihood of the Lumads. Yet through the years, I, like so many others, have faced harassment and attempts at intimidation from local politicians, both personally and through my businesses.”
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The post also shared how Christophe had already tried to fight back through legal means, but said he saw the need to speak up so that it would shed more light on an already problematic issue.
“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.
“I have fought back quietly and legally, trusting due process and the rule of law despite all their flaws. But in a time when ‘ghost projects’ and the misuse of public funds are being exposed nationwide, silence only helps the guilty. Siarganons’ future has been stolen in plain sight for years.”
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Using his personal experience and official documents filed with government agencies, Christophe continued to share their experience after opposing the Union-Malinao Bridge project which was found out to have falsified approval documents. Since then, Individuals supposedly representing certain politicians allegedly approached the couple before the 2025 elections telling them to come up with ₱50 million “in cash” in order to resolve their business woes following their opposition to the bridge project.
“Before the elections, individuals claiming to represent certain politicians approached Nadine and me, offering to ‘resolve’ the bridge issue if we provided ₱50 million in cash. 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.”
Since that incident, his businesses became subjected to multiple bouts of harassment which led Christophe to file an anti-red tape complaint and call on the attention of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Vince Dizon to give priority to Siargao in their ongoing investigations of alleged corruption and anomalies in the government agency.
“For weeks, we endured countless and random inspections that failed to uncover anything questionable. My business permit renewal was unlawfully put on hold, and even unauthorized soil testing, conducted in search of any possible violation, despite years of documented DENR clearances, occurred on our land by unnamed government workers who refused to identify themselves with a badge, as required by law. They bullied and shouted at my staff for legally filming and documenting their actions.
“I respectfully call on Secretary Vince Dizon of the DPWH, whose ongoing efforts to address corruption seem genuine, as well as on every national agency investigating the misuse of public funds, to include Siargao Island among their priorities for review and reform.”
Before ending his post, Christophe made a call for justice to address all the injustices happening in the island. “Accountability is needed from all sides, regardless of political team or color. These are my personal observations based on what I directly experienced and what was widely circulated in the community at the time. … Everyone accountable must be investigated and exposed if found guilty. IF not, our democracy is a lie, our freedom is a lie, and Siarganons will never trust any public action taken.
“If not, our future together will be continuously robbed, our children’s right to live in a better world than ours will be continuously violated, and our environment irreversibly destroyed. Siargao needs, and deserves, justice.”