Standoff in the Yanson family feud -3

By: Modesto P. Sa-onoy

LET’S divert a little although this subject is part of the column theme. Ginette Yanson-Dumancas who is allied with her mother, Olivia, sent a text message to a third party and this was forwarded to me.

She raised the point on the P380 million unexplained, missing funds. She said I “got mixed up. The P380 million is the amount that Celina needs to explain while the P11.8 million is the amount that Leo Rey gave to the people during the performance review.” She said she has the audit report of SGV she can show me.

I will thus set aside the P11.8 million as already explained – the money given out by Leo Rey. If this were so, why was this not explained earlier? Anyway, we take the word of Ginette as the correct explanation and move on, unless there is a contradictory response which I will also welcome. As I said from the start, anybody with credibility can send in a rebuttal or contrary information.

Now to the P380 million. Ginette Yanson pins this amount on her sister, Celina who “needs to explain”. My theory and inquiry were for Leo Rey to explain and as of today, there was no explanation where the money went, only finger-pointing on who should explain.

Last Friday, the headline of Daily Guardian has new information that will help clear the “mix up”.

In that report, Celina Yanson “urges her mother to tell the unvarnished truth behind the alleged 380 million pesos missing funds”. Celina also said her mother knows “who was responsible for these alleged unliquidated funds (that) occurred during her watch as CFO of VTI.”

Without mentioning who was responsible, Celina said that the first time that her mother got angry was last 2018 and this “precipitated the break in the family.” Her mother “got mad” at the four children “because we wanted the guy responsible for these illicit withdrawals from the Manila Purchasing Office to be criminally charged and sent to jail.”

I already touched on this subject, naming the person only as Neuter but later the media release from the Yanson 4 identified him as Rey Repollo. I also mentioned that Olivia Yanson protected Repollo and his relationship with Olivia. These allegations from the Yanson 4 had not been denied.

I was puzzled then, as now: why would Olivia prefer Repollo to her children and the stability of the family corporation? We are now able to pick up pieces of information to fathom this unusual situation.

Celina further said, “We wanted justice. My mother preferred her own way…When we discovered that this person was the one who orchestrated this big mess in cahoots with another, the lady cashier, (that) the board wanted their heads.” The mother preferred Repollo.

The media release continues, “instead of castigating this man… Olivia blamed her four children, particularly Celina for the mess.”

It further said, “A check with the auditing and accounting process within VTI will reveal that the missing funds were reportedly withdrawn from the MPO”. I wrote about this charge against the cashier, Rowena Sarona, but evidently, Repollo was not included as “Sarona was the one who allegedly encashed those checks amounting to over 380 million pesos.”

It is intriguing that Repollo was not included but perhaps Sarona can squeal in court.

Celina claims she cannot be blamed because she is not a signatory to the MPO account “and the man responsible for the missing funds is not being questioned by my mother. He is a free man and is often seen in the company of my mother.” On the other hand, Celina is being “tried by public opinion despite evidence that show otherwise.”

She sent a message to Olivia and her siblings: For true reconciliation to proceed, her mother and her sibling must tell the whole truth behind this fund scandal.

It now seems I was not “mixed up” in saying that Leo Rey should explain not only because he is the president of VTI and therefore the responsible person but also because he knows the truth. Why is he silent?

There are two documents that will give more information about the truth: the SGV report and the case against Sarona. But the undeniable fact is the claim of Olivia’s favoritism by protecting Repollo.

We’ll continue tomorrow.