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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Lacanilao seeking lifetime ban vs driver in fatal Cebu City hit-and-run

Lacanilao seeking lifetime ban vs driver in fatal Cebu City hit-and-run

Published Feb 12, 2026 06:39 pm
LACANILAO (FB)
LACANILAO (FB)
CEBU CITY – The driver who figured in a fatal hit-and-run here may no longer be able to possess a driver’s license.
Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao, chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), is recommending a lifetime ban on the driver’s license of 21-year-old Sean Andrew Pajarillo.
Pajarillo was the driver of a Toyota Innova that hit and killed 23-year-old businessman Kingston Ralph Ko Cheng on Sunday, Feb. 8, in Barangay Banilad here.
Cheng was walking by the road when he was hit by a speeding Innova driven by Parajillo.
Parajillo rammed a parked sedan before hitting Cheng, who was thrown into an electric post due to the impact.
The suspect attempted to flee but was cornered when his vehicle overturned and crashed into a post.
Cheng was declared dead in a hospital. Pajarillo, who was also injured in the incident, has been charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and damage to property while being under hospital arrest.
Lacanilao emphasized that he will ensure that Pajarillo will never be allowed to possess a driver’s license again.
"I will recommend to ban for life his driver's license,” said Lacanilao said in a press briefing here on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Lacanilao added that the vehicle has been placed under alarm and its owner will also face consequences for allowing the suspect to operate the vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
“He has no right to drive a car on our road,” the LTO official added.
The LTO-Central Visayas has issued a show-cause order against both the driver and the vehicle owner.
The agency has suspended Pajarillo’s driver’s license for 90 days pending a scheduled hearing on Feb. 17.
Lacanilao said that even if the suspect refuses to surrender his physical license, the agency will ensure he faces the maximum legal penalties.
Videos of Pajarillo allegedly partying in a bar before the fatal crash have surfaced online. He was also seen struggling to walk towards his vehicle at parking because of drunkenness. Despite these videos, Pajarillo tested negative for alcohol use.
Police explained that the lengthy gap between the time of the crash and the time that Pajarillo was subjected to a liquor test may have led to him testing negative for alcohol use.
Police Lt. Col. Jose Los Baños, information officer of the Cebu City Police Office, said the incident happened at 12:53 a.m. and Pajarillo was admitted to a private hospital in Mandaue City at 1:50 a.m. Pajarillo was transferred to a private room at 2:20 p.m.
It was around 2:50 p.m. when personnel of the Traffic Enforcement Unit tried to subject Pajarillo to liquor and drug tests.
Doctors told the police that they needed the patient's consent as part of the procedure. Pajarillo agreed to undergo a sobriety test around 4 p.m. the same day. The test was further delayed when police learned that the private hospital had no available alcohol testing equipment.
Pajarillo was moved to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) where the test was made at 7:55 p.m.
Los Banos said the 18-hour gap may have affected the result of the test showing Pajarillo was not drunk during the incident.
Because of the incident, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said the city will purchase breath-analyzing equipment, acknowledging the city’s lack of emergency and forensic response system. “In the entire Cebu, we learned that we don’t have that kind of equipment,” said Archival.
Archival said the incident will serve as a lesson learned for the city. Archival said the city government will closely monitor the case and assured of a fair investigation. “Whatever is correct, we should be very transparent,” he said.

Related Tags

Cebu City LTO Hit-and-run Deaths Freak accident Drunk driving
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