THREE Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials resigned from their respective posts following the alleged bribing incident involving Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who was able to film content while in detention.
In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Malacañang accepted the courtesy resignations of a BI warden and two deputies following the order of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to investigate how Zdorovetskiy was able to film his experience while in detention.
"We spoke directly with BI leadership, and they said that allowing detainees to use phones was meant only for contacting their families. Filming content was not allowed, and the vlogger’s video was unauthorized and had no approval from the facility," Castro said.
Zdorovetskiy is a Russian-American YouTuber and internet personality, widely known online by his channel name VitalyzdTv for producing prank, stunt, and viral-content videos.
He first gained popularity for outrageous and shocking pranks that often went viral globally.
Zdorovetskiy was arrested in the Philippines in April 2025 after a series of livestreamed incidents and viral videos in which his actions drew widespread public outrage for harassing Filipinos and breaking local laws.
After serving about nine months in detention and completing required penalties for his cases, Zdorovetskiy was deported to Russia in January 2026 and placed on an immigration blacklist barring his return to the Philippines.
Following his deportation, Zdorovetskiy posted on social media about his experience in Philippine detention, describing hardships and expressing his personal reflections.
The controversial vlogger said he was able to document his experience inside detention after paying jail guards in exchange for being allowed to bring his mobile phone inside the cell. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)