A regional trial court in Negros Occidental has declared four Yanson siblings “fugitives from justice” and stripped them of their right to seek court relief and participate in legal proceedings until they surrender to face qualified theft charges.
In a resolution dated March 17, 2026, Judge Jose Manuel Lopez of the Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 50 ruled that siblings Roy, Ricardo Jr., Ma. Lourdes Celina, and Emily Yanson, also known as the ‘Yanson 4’, had willfully evaded the law by staying abroad despite outstanding warrants for their arrest.
The qualified theft charges stem from allegations that the four siblings, acting as self-appointed officers of Vallacar Transit Incorporated (VTI), unlawfully took corporate assets and equipment during a 2019 power struggle, a statement from the camp of their sibling, Leo Rey Yanson, said.
The court decision is the latest in a long-running management dispute within the Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC), which owns VTI, the operator of Ceres Liner and the largest bus transport network in the Philippines.
“For the willful evasion by the accused of the Court’s jurisdiction, the accused should be sanctioned rather than rewarded. Their intent to evade prosecution is considered as a waiver of their right to adduce evidence and participate in the criminal case against them, they shall lose their standing in court and shall not be entitled to seek relief, until and unless they submit and commit to the jurisdiction of this Court,” Judge Lopez said.
Court records showed that the respondents, as early as August 2019, who were aware that a complaint for qualified theft was filed against them in the Office of the City Prosecutor, executed an SPA in favor of Fortun, Narvasa & Salazar (FNS) authorizing their lawyers to act in their behalf in all civil, criminal and administrative matters.
Court records show that three of the accused left the Philippines on March 7, 2020, just days before the country entered COVID-19 lockdowns. Ma. Lourdes Celina Y. Lopez had left the country on January 25, 2005.
Under Philippine law, qualified theft is a non-bailable offense when the value of the property is high or involves a grave abuse of confidence, a statement from the camp of Leo Rey Yanson said.
With their continued evasion, siblings Ricardo, Roy, Maria Lourdes Celina and Emily Yanson were declared by Judge Lopez as “fugitives from justice.”
YGBC operates thousands of buses across the country, employing tens of thousands of workers.
Despite the legal turmoil, the company’s daily operations have continued under the management of Leo Rey Yanson and their mother Olivia Yanson.
Judge Lopez set the hearing on May 6, following the issuance of arrest warrant for the accused persons.*
