A court in Bacolod has declared four members of the Yanson family as fugitives and barred them from participating in court proceedings until they surrender.
In a March 17, 2026 ruling, Judge Jose Manuel A. Lopez of the Regional Trial Court Branch 50 said siblings Roy Yanson, Ricardo Yanson Jr., Ma. Lourdes Celina Yanson, and Emily Yanson—known as the “Yanson Four”—had evaded arrest by staying abroad despite existing warrants.
The court ruled that the siblings lost their right to seek legal relief or file motions and would no longer receive court notices unless they return and submit to the court’s authority.
The case is part of a long-running family dispute over control of the Yanson Group, which owns Vallacar Transit Inc., operator of the Ceres Liner bus network.
Records show three of the siblings left the country in March 2020, just before COVID-19 lockdowns, while one has reportedly been abroad since 2005. The court noted they continued to hire lawyers while remaining outside the reach of Philippine law.
The ruling applied the “fugitive disentitlement doctrine,” which bars individuals from using the courts while avoiding jurisdiction.
The charges involve alleged qualified theft tied to the 2019 management dispute, where the siblings were accused of taking company assets. Under Philippine law, qualified theft can be non-bailable depending on the amount involved.
A follow-up hearing is set for May 6 to review the status of the arrest warrants.
Operations of the Yanson Group continue under Leo Rey Yanson and their mother Olivia Yanson.
