THREE officials from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) were sacked in relation to the videos that circulated online which showed infamous Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy allegedly recording certain circumstances while detained in the Philippines. Zdorovetskiy has been officially designated as an “undesirable alien.”
“Tatlo po ang natanggal ng immigration official at maraming na-confiscate na cellphones,” Press Undersecretary Claire Castro told a press conference on Thursday.
She added: “Pero kung may iba na maaari masabi natin na nagkakaroon ng kakulangan, pai-imbestigahan pa po ito at kailangan matanggal ang dapat matanggal sa posisyon kung merong pang-aabuso.”
Castro said the Vitaly had been detained at a BI facility and some of the now controversial videos may have been recorded during the early stages of his arrest, as she assured that coordination has been made with the BI in order to prevent lapses in protocol and ensure that proper procedures are being observed in detention facilities.
Meanwhile, an investigation is ongoing to address the issue and make sure that such will not happen again in the future.
It will be recalled that following his deportation, Zdorovetskiy posted photos and videos showing himself inside the BI’s warden facility at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, where he spent nine months following his arrest for harassing Filipinos and mocking them.
Zdorovetskiy has been officially designated as an “undesirable alien” based on his deportation order and is banned from ever returning to the country.
