SENIOR Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Joshua Barile is confined at a private hospital in Bacolod City after suffering from hypertension.
This was confirmed on Tuesday by Chief Inspector Ritchie Gohee, head of Police Station 4, who provides assistance in Barile’s detention.
Barile was arrested last September 22 after joint operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Philippine National Police raided his house at Regent Pearl Homes in Barangay Alijis.
The operation resulted to the confiscation of more than 50 firearms, including M16 and M4 assault rifles, four grenades, more than 1,000 assorted ammunitions, and a sachet containing suspected shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).
He was rushed to the hospital last November 22 around 7 p.m.
Barile was supposed to be placed under Gohee’s custody for three days only upon the request of his lawyer due to security reasons, but he remained in the safekeeping of Police Station 4 for two months now.
Barile in previous media interviews claimed that the recovered firearms were evidence from the raids conducted by his unit, and these were placed in his house for safekeeping, but the NBI said the police officer has no documents to support his claim.
Charges for illegal possession of firearms, explosives, and ammunition, as well as additional charges for illegal possession of dangerous drugs were filed against him.
He is also facing two murder complaints after he was linked to the killing of the father and younger brother of Negros Island top drug suspect Ricky Serenio, the alleged bagman of Berya drug group, which the police officer vehemently denied.