Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Allen Palacio has been acquitted by Branch 3 of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities of the charge of obstruction of justice in connection with the alleged tampering of a closed-circuit television system following the 2023 killing of businessman Kim Vu Dang.
In a 44-page decision dated June 18, 2026, that was obtained by Palawan News, Presiding Judge Enrique C. Selda ruled that the prosecution failed to prove Palacio’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, leading to his acquittal of the charge under Presidential Decree No. 1829.
“Wherefore, premises considered, for failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt, the accused P/LTCOL. Mark Allen Palacio is hereby acquitted of the crime of Obstruction of Justice,” the court said in its ruling.
The court also ordered the release of the ₱36,000 cash bond posted by Palacio.
The case stemmed from an information filed by the Office of the City Prosecutor, which accused Palacio of allegedly tampering with the CCTV system installed at the residence of spouses Kim Vu Dang and Rachel Sigca Dang in Barangay Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City on May 8, 2023.
According to the charge, Palacio, who was then a member of the Philippine National Police, allegedly gained access to the CCTV system despite having no technical expertise and without proper authorization.
Prosecutors claimed his actions interfered with the immediate identification of the person responsible for the fatal shooting of Kim Vu Dang and affected the availability of the video recording as evidence in the criminal investigation.
After evaluating the evidence presented during the trial, the court found that the prosecution failed to establish Palacio’s criminal liability beyond reasonable doubt.
The decision was signed by Judge Selda on June 18, 2026, at the MTCC Branch 3 in Puerto Princesa City.
