By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Embattled cop Senior Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Joshua Barile recently filed counter-affidavits to prove his innocence after members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided his house last month.
Last Monday, Barile was escorted by his legal counsel, Atty. Erfe Del Castillo, to submit his counter-affidavit before the Bacolod City Hall of Justice.
In a report by TV Patrol-Negros, Del Castillo affirmed illegal possession of firearms charges cannot be filed against Barile, as the seized guns are all documented as exhibits in ongoing cases.
He also questioned the presence of three grenades, noting one of the devices was registered to Police Station 4 (PS4).
Barile previously denied the grenades seized during the raid belonged to him, as well as the suspected drugs, which was later tested as positive for shabu.
He also claimed 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.
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 also slapped with additional charges of illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives, as well as possession of illegal drugs./WDJ