Russian-American vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy was arrested in the Philippines after causing a public disturbance and violating local laws. He was seen taunting and harassing people, including stealing a security guard's cap and crashing a patrol motorcycle. Following his arrest, initial reports suggested he would be deported. However, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced that deportation is not yet happening, instead he will face charges under Philippine law as an 'undesirable alien'.
Remulla stated that Vitaly's actions belittled Filipino people and their laws. The DILG secretary is advocating for changes to the cyberlibel law to address the issues caused by disruptive online content creators. Deportation under Philippine law requires specific criteria; Vitaly's case is being reviewed to see whether his actions meet these criteria.
Authorities are currently investigating Vitaly's actions, including an incident involving harassment in Boracay and his involvement in creating and distributing content that caused harm to individuals and businesses. The authorities are actively searching for the Filipino cameraman who assisted Vitaly in filming his videos.
Vitaly remains in custody. The CIDG and BI are discussing the next steps in the legal process. The DILG secretary believes Vitaly's actions warrant harsher laws against online harassment and disruptive vlogging.