By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy will stay longer to serve his sentence in the Philippines for harassing and insulting Filipinos for content, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Sunday.
Zdorovetskiy will face trial next week for three counts of unjust vexation, with a possible jail time of three months to one year, Remulla said in a news release.
“We will service his sentence. Sinigurado ko po ‘yun (I made sure of that),” he said.
Remulla said deportation is not an option, as both Russia and the United States, where Zdorovetskiy is a green card holder, refused to accept him.
He said the vlogger had written to him, pleading for the charges to be dropped, citing mental health issues.
Once proven guilty, Remulla said the 33-year-old Zdorovetskiy may serve up to 18 months in a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier condemned Zdorovetskiy’s actions, saying he would not tolerate abuse disguised as entertainment.
Zdorovetskiy, arrested on April 3, was declared persona non grata in some countries because of his unusual behavior.
He is also known by his username VitalyzdTv in the video-sharing platform YouTube. (PNA)
