Actress Nadine Lustre believes social media should never become a refuge for abuse, saying her decision to pursue legal action against a man who sexually harassed her online was driven by a desire to promote accountability and protect others from similar experiences.

Speaking during a thanksgiving media conference, Lustre shared that she refused to let the incident pass without action, especially after realizing how harmful such behavior could be for survivors of abuse and vulnerable internet users.

“I think I did it because obviously number one isn’t right to do that. Second, I felt responsible for the comment and I want to do something about it because parang hindi ma-stomach iyong injustice knowing na some people went through that. In some way I wanted to do something about it, so my legal counsel advised me to file a case on this person and I just felt that it was right.”

Lustre said she also wanted to challenge the misconception that anonymity online shields people from the consequences of their actions.

“I just wanted to let people know na even if you’re hiding behind the screen, hindi puwedeng magsasalita ka ng whatever. Parang there has to be an accountability and I am all for social media being a safe space for everyone.”

Despite the suspect using a private account with minimal public information, the actress said her legal team was able to identify the individual before filing the necessary documents.

“The account of the actual person may profile photo siya although malayo, it’s the same name pero walang laman iyong account pero naka-private, so pinahanap talaga siya. So nung nahanap na siya that’s when we pushed with legal documents.”

According to Lustre, the case has already been resolved. She said the court required the individual to undergo rehabilitation and attend gender sensitivity seminars after accepting responsibility for his actions.

“Obviously even if you look at it in different ways parang hindi talaga okay iyong sinabi niya so he was given a sentence and a rehabilitation as well and he will go to seminars on gender sensitivity and all that.”

Although the man later apologized, Lustre admitted the incident had already left a lasting impact, particularly on survivors of abuse who reached out to her after reading the offensive remark.

“Meron, nag-apologize siya but I think during that time kasi grabe kasi iyong comment niya and a lot of people told me na na-trigger sila and people who are actually victims, they were emotional about it.”

Beyond her own experience, Lustre expressed concern about the growing culture of online hostility, especially among younger users who are constantly exposed to criticism on social media.

“The younger generation parang a lot of them are too focused on their image on social media. It’s judgmental sa real life and the thing is, parang free for all ang social media. It’s so easy to affect someone, parang puwede ka magsalita ng masama about someone especially if it’s someone younger. I mean hindi naman lahat tayo malakas ang loob and not everyone can handle any bad comments or harm on social media.”

For Lustre, building a healthier online environment starts with holding people accountable and reminding users that words shared behind a screen can have real-life consequences.