The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is intensifying efforts to revoke and impose a lifetime disqualification on the driver's license of a young motorist implicated in a deadly hit-and-run incident in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, during the early hours of February 8, 2026.
Conflicting Assessments on Driver's Condition
Authorities have presented differing evaluations regarding the alleged intoxication of the driver. During a press conference on Wednesday, February 11, LTO Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao recommended the cancellation of the license held by Sean Andrew Pajarillo, 21, who fatally struck another young entrepreneur, Kingston Ralph Cheng.
"Not only were you drunk, but you also disgraced other motorists and killed an innocent person so casually—I will not allow that," stated Lacanilao, asserting that the driver showed indications of being under the influence. "Such a person has no right to drive on our roads," he added.
Accountability Extends to Vehicle Owner
Lacanilao further disclosed that the registered owner of the vehicle operated by Pajarillo will also be held accountable. The LTO is reinforcing its anti-drunk driving campaign in response to this tragic event.
He has directed LTO Central Visayas to enhance the presence of enforcers on the streets and improve coordination with the police. Both the driver and the vehicle owner have been ordered to attend a scheduled hearing on February 17 at the LTO 7 Operations Division on N. Bacalso Road.
According to reports, Pajarillo, driving a Toyota Innova, initially collided with a parked sedan before fleeing the scene. In his haste to escape, he struck and killed Cheng, who was walking along Paseo Saturnino Road in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.
