Malacañang eyes persona non grata declaration vs Russian YouTuber Vitaly
Malacañang is looking at declaring Russian YouTuber Vitaly Zdorovetskiy persona non grata after harassing Filipinos for content.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in her Bagong Pilipinas interview on Friday, April 4, that Vitaly may be declared persona non grata.
“Unang una po ay ipapa-deport na yan eh, so doon pa lang po talagang persona non grata na ang maituturing sa kanya,” the PCO chief said.
Castro added that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was made aware of the incident, which immediately prompted the local police and Bureau of Immigration to act, resulting in Vitaly’s arrest on Thursday in Pasay City.
Castro added that while foreign nationals are welcome in the Philippines, they must adhere to the country’s rules and customs.
“Ang mga turista naman po, ang mga foreign nationals, ay welcome naman po sa Pilipinas. Pero hindi po ibig sabihin nito na eh kung welcome sila ay handa na rin po nila na bastusin ang mga Filipino, ang kostumbre po natin, ang batas natin,” Castro said.
Vitaly’s Filipino videographer may also be held accountable depending on the nature of his participation. "Kasi po kung tutuusin po natin in conspiracy po yan," Castro said.
The 33-year-old YouTuber recently posted a video on Kick titled "Vitaly disturbing the peace in the Philippines," showing him engaging in disruptive behavior at Bonifacio Global City, including riding a patrol motorcycle and harassing pedestrians and a security guard, who later called him out for it. Vitaly then mocked the latter by singing some lines from Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi.
Other stunts included the removal of a restaurant's electric fan and its transport into a hotel. His operation of a tricycle resulted in a collision with a passenger and minor damage to a parked jeepney.
He is facing three counts of unjust vexation in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act, two cases of theft, and one charge of attempted theft.
Vitaly is now at the BI’s detention facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig, and is awaiting deportation proceedings.
Atty. DJ Jimenez, a 2023 Gawad Manilenyo awardee, told PhilSTAR L!fe that the declaration of persona non grata, which directly means “unwelcome person,” is more of a “political statement” of the city. Meaning, this does not entail that the declared person will be prevented or arrested while visiting the specific city where they were declared as “unwelcome” unless they are found committing a crime with an issued warrant of arrest. (With reports from Bella Cariaso)
