By: Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – An employee of Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), operator of Ceres bus line, filed frustrated murder and serious injury cases against four Yanson siblings and their accomplices for allegedly instructing their men to burn him.
Cirilo C. Alingasa, a resident of Bangga Totong, Barangay Felisa, Bacolod City who works as a welder and fabricator of VTI, filed the criminal charges on September 4, 2019 before the Office of Bacolod City Prosecutor against Ricardo V. Yanson Jr., Roy V. Yanson, Emily V. Yanson and Ma. Lourdes Celina Yanson Lopez.
The other respondents were Police Brigadier Gen. Noli A. Romana, Police Colonel Jomil John S. Trio, and several John and Jane Does.
Based on a copy of the complaint sent to Daily Guardian on Oct 14, 2019, Alingasa accused the respondents of “allegedly conspiring, cooperating and confederating with each other in the commission, perpetration and/or for their express/tacit conformity and approval of the crime/s of frustrated murder, serious physical injuries, and other applicable crimes.”
The case arose from the burns and injuries Alingasa suffered on August 9, 2019 while helping the police open the steel gate at VTI’s main office in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.
It all stemmed from the squabble within the Yanson clan over control of VTI.
On July 7, 2019, the four Yanson siblings, in a purported special board meeting, unceremoniously unseated Leo Rey Yanson as the president of VTI.
Leo Rey was subsequently replaced by his eldest brother Roy Yanson. But Leo Rey, with the support of his mother, Olivia V. Yanson and sister Ginnette Y. Dumancas, refused to step down.
On July 7, the four Yanson siblings, backed by the security guards of A-Y 76 Security Specialists Inc., took possession and control of VTI’s main office.
As part of the takeover, the four Yanson siblings replaced AGNSA Security Agency with AY-76 Security Guards through a Philippine National Police-Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (PNP-SOSIA) order issued by Romana.
However, the SOSIA order was rectified by another order dated August 2 signed by Col. Michael John F. Dubria.
The Yanson 4 also took over the Southbound terminal.
Alingasa said that when the PNP-SOSIA issued an order to reinstall the security guards from AGNSA at VTI’s main office on Aug 9, he was ordered by the maintenance manager of VTI to stay put and man the rescue and/or towing truck at Bacolod Ceres North Terminal in Barangay Bata, Bacolod City.
About 2:45 a.m. on the same day, Alingasa said he accompanied another employee who drove the rescue truck going to VTI Main Office at Purok Himaya, Barangay Mansilingan.
“When we arrived at the entrance gate of VTI’s main office, there were two buses blocking it—one inside the gate and another outside the gate. A group of men under the control of the Yanson 4 were on top of the bus located inside the gate, while policemen were piling up waiting to get inside,” he said.
As the police could not gain entry to VTI’s main office to enforce the PNP SOSIA order, the victim said he was requested to assist the police to pull out the bus located outside the gate.
After moving out the bus located outside the main gate, the victim was subsequently asked by the police to cut the hinges of the main gate so the police could gain access to the main office.
“With a cutting/blow torch on hand, I then started cutting the hinges of the gate. While I was cutting the hinges with the cutting/blow torch, an unidentified person from inside the gate, presumably upon the orders of and/or under the control and direction of the respondents, shouted and sprayed water towards me to shut off my cutting/blow torch,” he said.
“All of a sudden, the men on top of the bus just located inside the gate, with intent to kill and on the presumed orders of and/or under the control and direction of the respondents, splashed and ignited paint thinner on me while I was using my cutting/blow torch. Because of this, I suffered severe burns and injury on the right hand,” he said.
“While my right hand was still burning, these unidentified men still continuously threw thinner towards my direction, thereby showing their evil motive to really kill me. Fearing for my life and out of instinct, I then decided to back off and scamper away. Were it not for the timely intervention to put out the fire from my right hand, I would have died at that point,” he said.
The Yanson 4 have yet to comment on the complaint.
