Yanson Family Saga: New Arrest Warrants Emerge on Patriarch's 97th Birthday

Thursday, July 2, was the 97th birthday of the late Ricardo Yanson Sr., the patriarch of the billionaire Yanson family of Bacolod City. Before sunset, the posh Yanson Beach Club, popularly known as Villa Olivia, in Barangay Bubog, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, teemed with over a hundred guests from elite, political, and business circles in the province, for a grand dinner reception. Less than an hour before the start of the event, a press conference was held in an adjacent hall in the same venue by the same family members who organized the party. The topic: a new warrant of arrest against the so-called “Yanson 4” or four of the birthday celebrant’s children — Roy, Emily, Ma. Lourdes Celina, and Ricardo Yanson Jr., who are still out of the country. The “Yanson 3” — family matriarch Doña Olivia and her two children Ginette and Leo Rey — faced the media with their corporate lawyers led by Norman Golez. The two factions are still at odds over unresolved corporate matters that have been dragging on for the last seven years now, related to the Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC), one of the biggest bus conglomerates in Southeast Asia. Golez, acting as external counsel for Mindanao Star Bus Transport, Incorporated (MSBTI) which is under the Yanson Group, began the press briefing by announcing that Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 54 Presiding Judge Enrico Voltaire Almeda had issued a warrant of arrest for qualified theft against the Yanson 4, on June 30. The arrest warrant is anchored on seven counts of qualified theft with no bail fixed, and two other counts, with P66,000 and P60,000-bail bonds. Almeda’s order followed the April 14 recommendation of the office of the secretary of justice prosecution staff, which acted as prosecutor in the case, which was filed by Edgar Altarejos, treasury head of the Yanson family corporation, on behalf of MSBTI. The case stemmed from nine withdrawals made from the Philippine National Bank (PNB) East-Bacolod from August to October 2019 — totaling P803,469,057.44 — allegedly without the consent of the MSBTI board. At the time, the Yanson 4 were still members of the MSBTI board with Ma. Lourdes Celina as chief finance officer and Emily as corporate secretary. Based on case documents, the money was reportedly deposited to Ricardo Jr.’s account at Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company-Ortigas Branch in Pasig City. During their press conference, the Yanson 3 also said the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office (PCPO) recommended the filing of three counts of qualified theft against the Yanson 4, for the alleged questionable bank withdrawals by the Yanson 4 amounting to more than P300 million. The recommendation, dated March 16, was approved by Pasig City Prosecutor Rey Camilo Dumlao II. The Yanson 4 also face alleged carnapping, falsification, and perjury charges. Family healing, forgiveness? During the press conference, Olivia, the 92-year-old Yanson matriarch, was asked about family healing and forgiveness. She said she has left everything to the court — she was already tired of negotiating with her four children. “Kon ano ang gusto sang court, amo lang na ang sundon ko (Whatever the court wants, that’s what I’ll follow),” she said. Olivia said that she really tried to patch up the mess for almost two months prior to their well-publicized family feud that started in July 2019, but, to no avail. Ginette, for her part, said she had forgiven her four siblings a long time ago. She said she did not want to harbor any ill-feelings as it was bad for her mental health. Ginette also said there were many attempts to settle their family conflict, but her four siblings disregarded their efforts. Worse, they shut down doors for negotiation, until some of the cases reached the Supreme Court, she added. The Yanson 4 are reportedly sending “feelers,” to the other faction but Ginette said that if they want settlement and forgiveness, the other side should initiate this. “Now, it’s up to Mommy. Whatever Mommy’s decision, we will just follow,” she said. Leo Rey, the youngest of the six Yanson siblings who sits as chairman of the board and president of YGBC, shared the same sentiment. “So, mahulat na lang kami kay Mommy kon ano ang desisyon n’ya. But indi gid mabasul si Mommy. Sakit gid ang nabatyagan n’ya.” (We will just wait for Mommy whatever her decision is. But we cannot blame Mommy. What she feels is painful.) Leo Rey said at the press conference that they had even sought the help of then-president Rodrigo Duterte and, lately, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to resolve their family dispute. Was the timing of the press conference mere coincidence or intended? On the occasion of Ricardo Sr.’s 97th birthday, Ginette hoped that all siblings would be reminded of their father’s legacy and, above all, the sacrifices of their parents in establishing their bus empire. – Rappler.com