Bacolod court orders arrest of Yanson siblings

THE Municipal Trial Court of Bacolod City has ordered the arrest of four Yanson siblings, including five others, for the alleged grave coercion case filed by the other faction of the family over the management of Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), the country's largest bus company.

Judge Abraham A. Bayona of Branch 7 of the Municipal Trial Court of Bacolod City greenlighted the issuance of the arrest warrant against Emily Yanson, Roy Yanson, Ricardo Yanson Jr., Maria Lourdes Celina Yanson Lopez, Jerica Leanne Ramos, Jerina Louise Ramos, Ma. Judy Alcala, Pgen. Noli Romana and Pcol. Jomil John Trio.

Bayona recently released the order during a hearing last May 29 of Criminal Case No. 20-0334459 for the charge of grave coercion against the accused.

In a previous order dated March 10, the judge found probable cause against the Yanson siblings and their collaborators for the crime and set their bail at P36,000, each. Arraignment of the accused is set on July 10.

“After careful evaluation of the resolution of the investigating prosecutor and the supporting documents pursuant to Section 6[b] in relation to Section 6[a] of Rule 112 of the Revised Rule on Criminal Procedure, the court finds probable cause exists and that there is a necessity of placing the accused under the immediate custody so as not to frustrate the ends of justice,” Bayona said in his order.

A family feud is brewing between the Yanson siblings—the Matriach side, Olivia Yanson and her son Leo Rey Y. Yanson, and the so-called Yanson Four—over the ownership of the company.

The said case stemmed from the four Yanson siblings' takeover of the management of Vallacar Transit last year with the four Yanson siblings, backed by the security guards of A-Y 76 Security Specialists Inc., took possession and control the bus liner's main office on July 7, 2019.

On July 7, 2019, the four Yanson siblings held a meeting and unseated Leo Rey as the president of the bus company, with Roy Yanson, the eldest brother, taking over.

Leo Rey, with the support of his mother, Olivia V. Yanson and sister Ginnette Y. Dumancas, refused to step down.

A series of stockholders meeting of the units of Yanson bus groups between the two camps were held in the succeeding months after the incident, with each of them declaring their own set of board of directors.

Established in 1968, the 52-year-old Vallacar Transit was founded by the late Ricardo Yanson Sr. and wife Olivia. It is considered the largest bus company in the Philippines transporting goods and 700,000 passengers daily. It is the company behind Ceres Liner, Ceres Tours, Sugbo Transit and Sugbo Tours.

The company has 15 terminals across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The Yanson Group, the parent company, operates 4,800 bus units run by 18,000 employees, and has its main office in Bacolod City.

The Securities and Exchange Commission already warned the two factions to avoid dishing out misinformation to the public as this will negatively impact not only the warring factions but also the investors, the consumers and the overall market.