DILG: YouTuber Vitaly won't be deported yet and will face charges in the Philippines
Controversial Russian-American YouTuber Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who was arrested in Pasay for harassing Filipinos for content, will not be deported yet and will face charges in the Philippines.
“Hindi po namin siya idedeport. Mananagot siya sa batas dito sa Pilipinas," interior secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a press conference on April 7. "Tapos na po ang dayuhan na kaya nilang lapastanganin ang mga Pilipino. Ito'y ehemplo na seryoso tayo sa sariling bayan natin."
Remulla noted that Zdorovetskiy, as an "undesirable alien," will be under the custody of the Bureau of Immigration detention facility in Muntinlupa.
The secretary said cases will be filed against the vlogger for engaging in disruptive and inappropriate acts, including attempting to kiss and grab a security guard; trying to seize his service firearm; taking videos without consent; mocking security guards; and vlogging without a permit in BGC.
Remulla noted that Zdorovetskiy also harassed an elderly woman and laughed and cursed at a windsurfing instructor in Boracay.
He said Zdorovetskiy's cameraman will also likely face charges for enabling the vlogger to do the mentioned acts.
The BI and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group have yet to discuss the process of the filing of charges, he added.
Remulla noted that Zdorovetskiy will not get special treatment.
"Ilalagay siya sa regular detention facility," he said. "Idadaan sa tamang proseso ang pag-inquest at pag-charge sa kanya. Kung ano ang kinakain ng regular na inmate ay siya ring kakainin."
"Pinapakita natin na dito sa Pilipinas, may due process," he added.
Remulla warned not only foreign vloggers but everybody in general to show respect to Filipinos.
"Ang tao, ginagalang. Di natin ginagamit 'yan para pagtawanan at pagkakitaan," he said. "Babala sa lahat ng mga gustong ganito pa ang gawin: Huhulihin namin kayo at di kami basta papayag na bastusin ninyo ang mga Pilipino. Walang exempted dito sa batas sa Pilipinas."
During the press conference, Remulla presented Zdorovetskiy to the public wearing an orange prison uniform while in handcuffs. But that didn't prevent him from being unruly.
At one point, he snatched the hat of a police officer beside him. He was also making an "L" sign as Remulla was speaking.
On April 2, Zdorovetskiy was caught by Filipino authorities in front of a Pasay hotel "based on a BI mission order."
He was seen messing around with Filipinos in Bonifacio Global City by riding a patrol motorcycle, stealing a security guard’s cap multiple times, and playing petty pranks with passersby in his Kick video titled "Vitaly disturbing the peace in the Philippines" with a devil emoji.
He also forcibly filmed a security guard who called him out for it. Vitaly then mocked the latter by singing some lines from Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi.
Among other stunts he pulled was stealing a heavy-duty electric fan from a restaurant and bringing it inside a hotel. Vitaly also drove a tricycle but eventually sideswiped a passenger and slightly crashed into a parked jeepney.
Vitaly has 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.
Zdorovetskiy has over 10 million subscribers on YouTube.
