Russian-American vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, arrested last week for harassing Filipinos, will not be deported amid ongoing charges in the Philippines, according to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
On Monday, Vitaly appeared at a press conference conducted by the DILG. Remulla said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) must first resolve all the charges filed against the vlogger.
Even though Vitaly will post bail for his charges, Remulla said he still cannot leave the country and must remain in the custody of the BI.
"Sa aking paningin, doon muna siya mananatili sa BI detention facility sa Muntinlupa habang siya ay naghihintay ng paglilitis rito. Hindi po namin siya ide-deport. Mananagot siya sa batas dito sa Pilipinas," said the DILG chief.
Furthermore, Remulla emphasized that it is time to put an end to disrespectful content created by vloggers.
Meanwhile, according to a report by Val Gonzales, the vlogger showed many disrepectul gestures during the press conference. He allegedly claimed that the audio-visual presentation showing his actions—particularly in BGC, Taguig City—was "fake news."
Remulla also pointed out that Filipinos rarely face legal charges when traveling abroad, in contrast to the behavior of the foreign vlogger.
"Ang Pilipino po kapag bumabyahe, ay bihirang kasuhan. Pero po may dumating dito na isang brusko na hinahamak ang ating pagkatao bilang Pilipino, hinahamak ang ating batas," said Remulla.
Vitaly was arrested on April 2 in an operation conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), based on a mission order from the BI.
