Jonvic Remulla — who referred to Vitaly's videos as 'kupal content — says that they are still working to find the Filipino cameraman who helped the Russian vlogger film

MANILA, Philippines – In a press briefing on Monday, April 7, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that controversial Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy will not be deported yet so he can face the consequences of his actions under Philippine law.

This comes days after he was arrested on April 3 and was said to have been awaiting deportation proceedings. Remulla, who referred to Vitaly’s work as “kupal content,” said that he will be placed under the custody of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) as an “undesirable alien.”

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“Ito po, importante sa amin dahil ang Pilipino, ‘pag nabyahe at napunta sa ibang bansa, ay ginagalang ang kanilang labas. Ang Pilipino po, bilang OFW, ang most desired sa buong mundo. First one to be hired, last one to be fired. Ang Pilipino po ‘pag nabyahe, ay bihirang bihira kasuhan, at ginagalang natin ang kanilang batas. Ngayon po, may dumating dito na isang Ruso-Amerikano na hinamak ang ating pagkatao bilang Pilipino. Hinamak ang ating mga batas,” Remulla said about Vitaly’s arrest.

(This is important for us because Filipinos respect the surroundings of whatever countries they travel to. As OFWs, Filipinos are the most desired in the world. First one to be hired, last one to be fired. When Filipinos travel abroad, it’s rare that a case is filed against them, and we respect the laws of the countries we visit. Now, a Russian-American comes to the Philippines and belittles us. He belittled our laws.)

The Department of Interior and Local Government presents Russian-American YouTuber and internet content creator Vitaly Zdorovetskiy during a press conference by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, on April 7, 2025.

Vitaly made the rounds on social media in the beginning of April after clips from his stream were posted online. In the videos taken in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, he was seen taunting and threatening to rob a woman and harassing a security guard, whose cap he stole.

On April 2, BGC announced that they would be pursuing legal action against the vlogger after they were made aware of his disruptive behavior.

During the briefing, Remulla recounted the inappropriate actions Vitaly committed against the security guard who reportedly filed a police blotter report with the PNP Southern Police District, citing harassment by the vlogger.

The security guard said Vitaly attempted to kiss and grab him, tried to seize his service firearm, and took videos of him without his consent. He also mocked other security guards and vlogged without a permit in BGC.

Among his other offenses included driving a patrol motorcycle without permission and crashing it, scaring and insulting a Filipino woman, and stealing a restaurant’s electric fan.

Remulla added that they are still working to find the Filipino cameraman who helped Vitaly shoot his content.

Remulla even pointed out that Vitaly was captured by CIDG’s General Torre in Conrad Manila, an upscale hotel in Pasay City. The DILG secretary pointed out that a night’s stay at the hotel is not cheap — which he says is an indication that Vitaly is able to finance his lifestyle at the expense of Filipinos’ shame.

Given the ruckus Vitaly has caused since arriving in the Philippines, Remulla called on lawmakers to modify the cyberlibel law to prevent vloggers — both local and foreign — from creating disruptive content in the country.

“Dapat ang cyberlibel [law] natin ay i-modify pa. Isusuggest namin sa mga lawmakers ‘to, sa susunod na kongreso, kung pwedeng higpitan pa nila ang batas laban dito, at hindi conservative masyado ang interpretation. Dapat kung nakikitang at the expense of others, at the expense of Filipinos, at the expense of everyone’s dignity, ay pinagkakakitaan nila, ay pananagutan nila,” he said.

(The cyberlibel law should be modified. We’ll suggest to lawmakers in the next congress if they can tighten the law, and not make the interpretation too conservative. When they see that it’s at the expense of others, at the expense of Filipinos, at the expense of everyone’s dignity, and they’re making money off of it, they should be held accountable.)

The Department of Interior and Local Government presents Russian-American YouTuber and internet content creator Vitaly Zdorovetskiy during a press conference by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, on April 7, 2025.

According to Immigration Memorandum Circular No. SBM-2015-010, foreign nationals can only be deported if circumstances fall under the following criteria:

• Overstaying
• Undocumented
• Fugitive from justice
• Has fully served the sentence in a crime, which carries the penalty of deportation after service of sentence
• Has fully served the sentence in the crimes mentioned in sections 37(a)(3) and 37(a)(10) of the Philippine Immigration Act

Remulla said that the CIDG and BI are still discussing how to proceed as the content creator remains in custody.

Beyond BGC, Zdorovetskiy was also reported to have allegedly harassed a Filipino instructor in Boracay with vulgar, sexually degrading remarks and encouraged his followers to leave fake negative reviews on a local business, leading to accusations of cyber harassment. – with reports from Steph Arnaldo/Rappler.com