Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, chief of Police Regional Office-6 in Western Visayas (File photo courtesy of Glazyl Y. Masculino)
BACOLOD CITY -- The chief of Police Regional Office (PRO) in Western Visayas defended the deployment of policemen to the south terminal and main office of Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) here amid the tension between the two camps of the owners, the Yanson family.
“I don’t think you can blame the local police in this situation,” Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, PRO-6 chief, said in a press conference held at the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) headquarters on Thursday night.
The PRO-6 chief, together with Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde; Maj. Gen. Amador Corpus, chief of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG); Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Biay, chief of Civil Security Group (CSG); and Col. Michael John Dubria, chief of Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA), was named respondent in the injunction case filed by Sigfrid Fortun, lead counsel of the four Yanson siblings -- Roy, Ricardo Jr., Celina and Emily.
The case sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the court, enjoining the police officials to cease and desist from deploying policemen in the two areas and allegedly interfering with the issues being resolved by the bus company.
The other camp includes younger brother Leo Rey, whom the four ousted as company president and replaced with Roy, but has the support of matriarch Olivia and sister Ginnette.
Vallacar Transit, operator of Ceres buses, and four other firms are under the Yanson Group of Bus Companies, the country’s largest bus firm, mainly operating in the Visayas and Mindanao.
On Thursday, Albayalde said the PNP will maintain its impartiality and they will be ready to answer the injunction case filed against them.
He added that he has instructed the CSG director to investigate the action of the SOSIA here.
Pamuspusan said he has not received a copy of the complaint yet, but said he could not understand why the police should be charged.
“The PNP SOSIA just served the notice to install back the previous security agency, based on the policy. They corrected the previous instruction and they implemented it. Definitely, the local police will come in because there was already a problem with public order and safety,” he added.
Pamuspusan said the number of deployed policemen was based on the “appreciation of the ground commander”, in this case, city police director Col. Henry Biñas.
“Its depends on how he appreciates the situation. He requested for additional forces to quell the impending problem at the terminal. Each camp has its own supporters. If the local police was not there, there could have been trouble between the two parties,” he added.
On Wednesday, a total of 193 policemen, including Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) personnel, were deployed at the Bacolod Ceres South Terminal.
The day before, more than 60 police officers arrived at the VTI main office in Mansilingan village.
The composite police personnel were dispatched upon the request of the PNP SOSIA, represented by Col. Jaime Santos, chief of Enforcement Management Division, to maintain peace and order, while the directive to re-install the services of AGNSA Negros Security Agency in the two areas is being implemented.
Dubria issued an order on August 2 “finding the deployment of security guards of AY-76 Security Specialists Inc. at the properties of VTI, particularly at the south and north terminal and its main office, all in Bacolod City, not in compliance with the provisions of the PNP-Standard Operating Procedure No. 007-08.”
The provision states that “no private security agency shall enter into contract with any clients whose property or establishment has an existing conflict of claim, ownership, management or administration of properties/establishments with another party, without written permission from the police that has jurisdiction of the property/establishment.”
Santos said AGNSA security guards were supposed to be installed on Tuesday but since there was tension, he decided that personnel of both AGNSA and AY-76 stay away and requested for Bacolod policemen to secure the two areas temporarily.
Roy Yanson terminated the services of AGNSA “due to loss of trust and confidence” and hired AY-76 instead.
At dawn on Wednesday, police personnel led by Biñas were able to enter the south terminal and installed the AGNSA blue guards.
On Thursday, there were fewer policemen at the terminal as bus trips have resumed, but more were deployed to the main office, including a contingent of more than 100 CDM or anti-riot policemen.
The camp of four Yanson siblings, with their lawyers, refused to open the Mansilingan headquarters’ gate and prevented the entry of the AGNSA security guards.
“Our local police are there. Definitely, the SOSIA said they will implement the order to install back the previous security agency. We are still there because the SOSIA has not done yet what they are supposed to do. On our part, we’re there to support SOSIA,” Pamuspusan said. (PNA)
