Actress Nadine Lustre is once again using her voice to speak on issues close to her heart — this time addressing what she described as a disturbing culture of disrespect, cruelty, and environmental neglect unfolding across different communities in the country.
Through a candid message shared on her Instagram community channel, the actress reflected on the realities she has witnessed in recent years, particularly in Siargao, where she has spent much of her time since the pandemic.
Nadine expressed concern over how some visitors allegedly treat locals on the island, saying the growing tourism industry has also exposed troubling attitudes toward the people who have long called Siargao home.
“You see it in the disrespect locals here on the island continue to receive,” she wrote.
“The way some people come here and treat locals as if they are below them, as if hospitality means servitude, as if kindness gives them permission to disrespect boundaries, spaces, and people.”
The actress also pointed to what she described as recurring incidents of “aggression, entitlement, violence, and complete disregard” toward the community, stressing that the island’s residents are often left to deal with the consequences of irresponsible behavior.
“It’s painful watching people treat this island like a temporary playground while the people who actually call it home are left carrying the consequences,” she added.
Beyond tourism-related concerns, Nadine also spoke strongly against animal cruelty, a cause she has consistently supported over the years. She lamented the way animals are often treated as disposable and voiceless.
“People intentionally harming innocent beings that have done absolutely nothing to deserve cruelty,” she said. “Treating lives as disposable because they cannot speak our language.”
The actress likewise turned her attention to environmental destruction, particularly the cutting of trees in urban areas, calling the practice deeply alarming despite being framed as “development” or “progress.”
“Trees that have stood long before us are suddenly being cut down in the name of ‘development’ and ‘progress,’ when in reality, so much of it feels deeply backwards,” she wrote.
“It’s unsettling watching people destroy the very things that keep us alive so casually, as if nature is just another object to consume, reshape, or remove whenever it becomes inconvenient.”
Her statement comes amid public outrage surrounding controversial tree-cutting projects in Manila, including the much-debated Quirino area issue that sparked protests and online petitions from environmental advocates.
Despite the heavy subjects she addressed, Nadine ended her message with a reminder rooted in empathy and awareness.
“I believe it’s still worth reminding ourselves to move through the world with more mindfulness. More awareness. More love and compassion. More respect for people, communities, nature, animals, and lives outside of our own.”