THE Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) has remained apolitical in the local elections and no particular name or names have been endorsed, the bus firm said in a press release.
VTI founder, the late Ricardo Yanson, was resolute in his stand that the company would never be involved in any political party.
Instead, he wanted to establish a harmonious relationship with any political aspirants regardless of their political affiliation for the best interests of the city and province.
The company, however, said that since early 2021, while everybody was bracing to combat coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the name of the Yanson matriarch and VTI Corporate secretary, Olivia Yanson, who was busy with her life in Manila, has been maliciously dragged, purportedly supporting the name of a particular candidate in the local political arena which has been circulating in the province for quite some time.
“Politicians are all my friends. They greet me every time we meet. There is nothing malicious if people will see me talking to them. Before the pandemic, I invited them to my birthday. I do not see any reason now to put any malice with my association to any of my politician friends,” the Yanson matriarch said.
“I am at the stage of my life where I just want to enjoy and help the impoverished people through my medical mission. I regret to say that politics is not my cup of coffee and will never be,” she said, adding that “I am too old for that. Besides, I can serve my fellow Negrosanons without any political affiliation.”
Today, the bus firm’s 18,000 loyal employees are suffering financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it said, adding “our operations had been greatly affected by this pandemic.”
The matriarch said that despite of the global crisis, her youngest son, Leo Rey, the president and CEO of their company, made sure that no employee will be retrenched.
“For two years now, our loyal employees lived within the means of our daily operations. Above all, I am a mother of these employees. If you are a mother, you would prioritize the welfare of your children before the needs of others,” she added.
The Yanson matriarch will be celebrating her 88th birthday this coming January 23, and she does not want a pompous celebration.
Her birthday wish is for everybody to live a normal life again. (PR)