Bus firm president seeks SC protection amid corporate row

Roy Yanson (left) and Leo Rey Yanson. CONTRIBUTED

MANILA, Philippines — The president of the country’s largest passenger bus firm has filed a petition for a writ of amparo before the Supreme Court after an estimated 300 “heavily armed” members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) gathered at the company’s headquarters in Bacolod City.

Roy Yanson filed the petition following the “forcible entry” of the provincial police officers into the compound of the Vallacar Bus Transit Inc. (VTI) amid corporate control issues between two feuding factions of the Yanson clan.

In the petition dated August 9, Yanson said his siblings—Ricardo Jr., Celina, and Emily—were “unlawfully detained and deprived of their liberty by respondents.”

Named respondents were PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde, CIDG chief Police Major General Amador Corpus, PNP Western Visayas Director Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, PNP Civil Security Group Chief Major General Reynaldo Biay and Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (Sosia) Chief Police Colonel Major John Dubria.

Further, Yanson said that the lives and security of his three siblings are “threatened by respondents’ act of intimidation and the presence of said armed policemen deployed in the VTI Head Office who are poised to swarm and take over the main office” where the siblings were working.

“Because of the presence of the armed policemen and the directives of the respondents not to allow the ingress or egress of any person or supplies inside said office including food and water [Ricardo Jr., Celina, and Emily] fear for their lives,” the petition reads.

Yanson added that power was also cut within the office, explaining that the “unlawful lock-up” of the office has amounted to “detention.”

The issue stemmed from a boardroom coup mounted by siblings Roy, Ricardo Jr., Celina, and Emily on July 7 that ousted their brother Leo Rey as president of the Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC). Roy was installed as president.

Leo Rey refused to step down, dismissing the takeover as illegal.

The bus firm has a fleet of about 4,000 buses under several bus lines nationwide, including Ceres Liner.

https://business.inquirer.net/276601/yanson-faction-retakes-control-of-giant-ceres-bus-firm-from-rebel-siblings