THE Palace announced Thursday that three immigration officials were sacked from their posts after deported Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy managed to record videos even during his detention.
This came amid accusations that Zdorovetskiy received special treatment during his arrest, especially after the vlogger revealed he was able to document his detention.
According to Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, Malacañang already tackled the issue with the Bureau of Immigration (BI), which confirmed that the vlogger was able to record the earlier parts of his detention at the BI’s detention facility. “Because of this, many were removed — three immigration officials were dismissed — and several cell phones were confiscated,” said Castro in a press conference.
She then assured the public that the incident remains under investigation and warned that additional officials would be dismissed if their involvement or shortcomings are proven. “If there are still other shortcomings or abuses that may be identified, these will continue to be investigated, and anyone found to have abused their position should be removed from office,” she said.
Zdorovetskiy was arrested in April 2025 for harassment and disruptive behavior — from harassing a security guard to taking a tricycle and later crashing it into a parked jeepney. He was then deported back to Russia on Jan. 17, 2026 after months of being detained.
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