THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Bacolod filed on Monday, April 15, two charges for illegal possession of firearms and violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban before the City Prosecutor's Office against Police Master Sergeant Joshua Barile.
Lawyer Renoir Baldovino, NBI-Bacolod head, said the charges were filed against Barile Monday morning.
The charges came after NBI agents recovered a rifle, and a .45 caliber pistol from him when he was arrested at Barangay Taculing on April 13, by virtue of an arrest warrant with no bail for illegal possession of explosives issued by Judge Fernando Elumba of Regional Trial Court Branch 42 in the city.
Baldovino said Barile failed to show documents on gun ban exemption during his arrest.
Barile was first arrested in September 2017 when the NBI-Bacolod, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) raided his house at Barangay Alijis. It resulted to a recovery of more than 50 firearms, four grenades, more than 1,000 assorted ammunition, and a sachet of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).
However, he was released from police custody after the court granted the petition for habeas corpus filed by his wife in December 2017. The charges for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition was also dismissed for lack of probable cause.
In August 2018, the Department of Justice recommended the filing of illegal possession of drugs and explosives charges against him after he was found guilty for five counts, for possessing three hand grenades and two vintage bombs, and one count for the possession of 9.938 grams of shabu. Barile clarified that the recovered items were evidence from the raids conducted by his unit and were only kept at his house for safekeeping but the NBI maintained that he has no documents to support his claim.
In April 2018, he was arrested again for illegal possession of dangerous drugs and firearms by virtue of two arrest warrants issued in 1997 against him and four others, when he was not yet part of the PNP, but those cases were bailable.
He was also charged for murder for the deaths of the father and younger brother of drug suspect Ricky Serenio, which he vehemently denied.
Barile, who is under the Regional Civil Security Unit, is currently under the custody of NBI-Bacolod. (GYM)