Arrest warrants out for 4 feuding members of Yanson family, 3 others

BACOLOD CITY – A local court has issued arrest warrants against four feuding members of the Yanson family and three others who are facing charges for violation of the New Anti-Carnapping Act of 2016.

Judge Sue Lynn Lowie-Jolingan of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 53 in Bacolod City issued the arrest warrants last June 5.

No bail was recommended for siblings Roy, Ricardo, Emily, and Ma. Loudes Celina Y. Lopez—scions of the Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) bus empire.

The judge also ordered the arrest of Ma. Judy Alcala, Jerica Leanne Ramos and Jerina Louise Ramos.

The Yanson family has been engaged in a long-running battle for control of their bus empire that operates in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The group, known as the “Yanson 4,” belongs to one camp, while their mother Olivia and siblings Leo Rey Yanson and Ginnette Dumanacas remain in physical control of their firm.

The Yanson 4, who maintained that they are the majority shareholders of VTI, learned late Monday afternoon of the orders by the court, finding probable cause against them for purported carnapping of Vallacar vehicles after the Aug. 9, 2019 violent siege by the police on their head office in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City, without any court order.

The siege was staged on the directions of their brother Leo Rey who was ousted by the board of directors as company president in July 2019, said lawyer Carlo Narvasa of the Yanson 4.

This comes on the heels of a similar order issued by the Municipal Trial Court in Cities of Bacolod, also finding probable cause against the Yanson 4 for grave coercion with a warrant of arrest eagerly implemented by Criminal Investigation and Detection Group agents on May 31, a day before it was ordered released and enforced by the judge.

Narvasa said the Yanson 4 were victims of an intra-corporate dispute where they plainly have rights as majority shareholders and the incumbent board of directors at the time of the alleged taking of corporate vehicles.

The accusation for carnapping of company vehicles stemmed from the violent takeover by the Philippine National Police and the group of Leo Rey of VTI’s head office on Aug. 9, 2019 without any order from the court, prompting protective action by the Yanson 4 of company assets – two wing vans, an L300 vehicle, and 1 Delica van, Narvasa added.

“The Yanson 4 had done nothing wrong. They never stole any equipment over which they have rights as VTI majority shareholders,” he said.

“They remain confident that, in the end, they will prove their indictment wrong,” he added.

Narvasa said the Yanson 4 were hopeful that the appellate courts with whom they will question the RTC’s orders, will vindicate them against their two other siblings’ unfounded accusations.