By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Three former aides to Senior Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Joshua Barile, who currently faces charges of murder, weapons possession, and illegal drugs, yesterday released affidavits accusing the police officer of corruption, along with claims he planned to join the New People’s Army (NPA).
Jerry Gepullan, Jimpaul Elizalde, and Roy Flores, who claimed to have met Barile while serving with the Regional Intelligence Unit-6 (RIU-6) and the Philippine Army Reserve, provided instances where the embattled police officer allegedly committed acts of corruption, along with the conduct of illegal practices.
They claimed Barile planted illegal drugs on a Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) student, citing the officer held a grudge with the student’s older brother; while also using seized items, including guns, jewelry, gadgets, and mobile phones, for his personal use.
He was also accused of selling confiscated items.
Barile was said to be a drug lord protector, allegedly receiving P200,000 in protection money from local drug lords Mohamed Camaria and Berya Tolentino. He was also said to have received P50,000 from local dealers of pirated DVDs and another P50,000 from illegal gambling operators.
In terms of NPA allegations, the three claimed Barile said he would join the NPA if he was served an arrest warrant.
They also accused the officer of meeting with a local NPA leader at a shopping mall in Barangay Villamonte, which was said to have been facilitated by a “known media personality.” It was during the said meeting that Barile allegedly promised to deliver two sets of computers and ammunition to the rebel group.
Due to the story’s sensitivity, Watchmen Daily Journal has withheld the identity of the media personality and the alleged NPA leader, pending their response to the allegations.
The three explained their reasoning for coming forward was due to the large cache of firearms and explosives found at his house, following a recent raid by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
They said they were concerned the guns would be used to kill government troops and law enforcement agents.
Last week, several firearms, along with four hand grenades and a sachet of suspected shabu, were recovered from Barile’s home at Regent Pearl Homes Subdivision 2, Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City.
He has since denied the allegations and said the firearms were turned over to his custody by the court, however, he brought them home instead of the police vault claiming the facility was full.
Barile later claimed a “powerful and influential” individual from southern Negros was behind the raid.
The police officer currently faces murder charges for the killing of Wilmar and Wilfredo Serenio, the brother and father, respectively, of former Berya drug group member Ricky Serenio. Following the said raid, he was slapped with additional charges of illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives, as well as possession of illegal drugs./DGB, WDJ