The family of 23-year-old businessman Kingston Ralph Ko Cheng will file a case against the driver implicated in the hit-and-run incident that claimed his life, his mother announced on Tuesday, February 17.
In a heartfelt statement shared days after the fatal crash in Barangay Banilad, Katherine Cheng said that filing a case “was never in our minds” at first as the family coped with grief.
They ultimately decided to proceed to make the incident official and help prevent similar tragedies.
“The family’s intention to file the case is to make the incident official so that other loving families will never feel our pain,” she said. “We entrust the ultimate fate of this matter to the police and the courts, and we will respect whatever outcome as the case unfolds.”
Cheng was struck and killed in the early hours of February 8 while walking along a pedestrian lane inside Maria Luisa Village.
Police said the incident involved a Toyota Innova allegedly driven by 21-year-old Sean Andrew Pajarillo.
According to the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), the vehicle first hit a parked Toyota Vios before allegedly speeding away and later colliding with Cheng.
Witnesses said the car continued at high speed but eventually lost control and crashed near Paseo Rodulfo.
Cheng, a café owner at Ayala Center Cebu and resident of the subdivision, was rushed to a private hospital but was declared dead due to severe injuries.
Pajarillo, who also sustained injuries in the crash, was initially placed under hospital arrest for allegedly failing to present a valid driver’s license and vehicle registration documents during apprehension.
He was later charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide in connection with Cheng’s death. A separate property damage charge was filed over the parked vehicle struck earlier in the incident.
On February 13, 2026, Pajarillo posted bail of P72,000, granting him temporary liberty while the case is pending before the court.
His legal team has warned against any attempts for him to leave the country as proceedings continue.
The incident has also sparked local policy discussions, with a newly elected Cebu City councilor pushing for measures that would hold bars and similar establishments accountable for serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons.
Authorities said Pajarillo tested negative for alcohol.
Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO 7) issued a show-cause order and imposed a 90-day preventive suspension on his driver’s license for alleged reckless driving, with a hearing set on February 17.
In her statement, Katherine Cheng described the profound void left by her son’s death.
“Now that Kingston has been taken from us, every part and corner of our home feels empty — a void that can’t be ignored. His absence is deeply felt. His silence is deafening,” she wrote.
She recalled the family misses “the late night snacks, the stories, the laughter,” as well as her son’s love for preparing food and coffee and his passion for music.
“No amount of remorse or sincere apologies can ever bring him back,” she said. “A part of me is missing. Kingston is missing.”
The grieving mother added that she hopes her son’s death serves as a reminder of the dangers of reckless and impaired driving and as “an eye opener on how authorities can improve to provide a clean and safe Cebu.” (LLP)
Photo from Jacq Hernandez
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