Days after he was arrested by local immigration agents and police officers.
On Monday, April 7, Secretary for Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla presented to detained Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy to members of the press.
The online personality, who goes by the mononym VitalyzdTV, was arrested last April 2 by officers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Philippine National Police (PNP) Makati and Criminal Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
His capture stemmed from the multiple disruptive acts he committed while doing a vlog in the popular Bonifacio Global City district in Taguig, which resulted to formal legal charges being filed by aggrieved parties.
Zdorovetskiy has since been identified as an undesirable alien and flight risk by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for reportedly harassing a security guard in Taguig City through attempted kissing and grabbing, seizing of service firearms, taking videos without consent, mockery, and vlogging without permit.
“Ito po ay importante sa amin dahil ang Pilipino po ‘pag na biyahe at napunta sa ibang bansa ay ginagalang ang kanilang batas. Ngayon po na may dumating na isang Ruso na hinahamak ang ating pagkatao bilang Pilipino, hinahamak ang ating mga batas,” with Remulla underscoring that Vitaly will not be given any special treatment.
The suspect is now under the restrictive custody of the BI.
“Tapos na po ang mga dayuhan na kaya nilang bastusin ang mga Pilipino. Ito’y ehemplo na seryoso tayo na sariling bayan natin, hindi tayo magpapabastos sa kanila,” he added.
In his latest video, the 33-year-old vlogger was also seen riding a patrol motorcycle without permission, threatening and insulting a woman, stealing items like a guard’s cap and a restaurant’s electric fan, and crashing a tricycle.
The DILG, in its statement, also shared that there were also “videos of him harassing a Filipino instructor with vulgar remarks, encouraging fake reviews against a local business, and dangerously jumping on a moving jeepney.”