BACOLOD City – The Bacolod Ceres South Terminal in Barangay 30 was temporary lockdown yesterday which caused the suspension of southbound bus trips.
Ceres chief finance officer Celina Yanson declared the work stoppage after she found out those security guards of Armored Guards Negros Security Agency (AGNSA) – originally securing Vallacar Transit Inc.’s (VTI) main office and terminal in this city – were reinstated.
On Tuesday, the Philippine National Police Supervisory Office on Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA) ordered the reinstallation of AGNSA security guards.
According to SOSIA chief Colonel Michael John Dubria, AGNSA has the right to secure the facilities.
Dubria said the deployment of the AY 76 Security Specialist Inc. – from the camp of the four Yanson siblings Roy, Emily, Celina and Ricardo Jr. – was not in compliance with the provisions.
In a special board meeting on July 7, the four Yanson siblings ousted Leo Rey as president of the bus firm. Roy replaced Leo Rey who refused to step down, citing the move was illegal.
Atty. Julie Ann Bedrio, one of the legal consultants of the four Yansons, said Celina ordered the lockdown after the security guards of AGNSA entered the premises of the South Terminal.
“At the same time several employees also from the Ceres North Terminal entered in the vicinity of the Ceres South Terminal,” she added.
Bedrio said: “It was agreed upon by conflicting siblings that the police will maintain the peace and order in the premises, but they are biased because at 3 a.m. of Aug. 7, the AGNSA Security Agency entered the premises.”
Bedrio added that the collection of the Ceres buses in the South Terminal was allegedly collected by employees of the Ceres North Terminal.
Meanwhile, Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board Region 6 director Richard Osmena said they will issue a Special Permit to buses in the Ceres North Terminal, allowing them to ply in the Southern portion of Negros Occidental just to augment transport service in the South and to cater affected commuters./PN
