Three BI officials sacked over 'special treatment' to deported vlogger Vitaly

Three officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) have been relieved from their posts for allegedly giving special treatment to deported Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy.

According to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval confirmed that the officials were dismissed over videos involving Zdorovetskiy while being held at the BI detention facility.

Castro said the BI verified that the videos were recorded early in the Russian vlogger’s arrest.

“So because of that, marami na po—tatlo po ang natanggal na Immigration official [at] marami pong na-confiscate na mga cellphones,” Castro said.

She added that the matter remains under investigation, should further irregularities be uncovered.

“Pero kung mayroon pa pong iba na masabi natin na nagkakaroon ng kakulangan, paiimbestigahan pa po ito at kailangan matanggal ang dapat matanggal sa posisyon kung mayroong pang-aabuso,” she said.

The controversy stemmed from photos and videos uploaded by Zdorovetskiy on Instagram, where he detailed his experience while detained in the Philippines.

In a statement, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology clarified that photos showing Zdorovetskiy during a Bible study were part of the event’s official documentation.

The 33-year-old vlogger, known for his YouTube channel Vitalyzed TV, was arrested in Pasay City in June last year and was deported to Russia on Jan. 17.

He was apprehended for harassing and disrespecting Filipinos in Bonifacio Global City for online content. In a viral vlog, he can be seen harassing a security guard in Bonifacio Global City, cursing at a masked Filipino woman, stealing an electric fan, and stowing away on a tricycle that soon crashed. 

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said Zdorovetskiy’s name ís now in the bureau’s blacklist.

Vitaly had been arrested multiple times for his publicity stunts. In 2016, he was nabbed for illegally climbing the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. In 2020, he was jailed for climbing one of the Pyramids of Giza, and in April of the same year, he was charged with aggravated battery for assaulting a woman who was jogging in Miami.