MANILA - Controversial police officer Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido confirmed on Monday that he has been reassigned to Eastern Visayas after a brief stint in Virac, Catanduanes.

Speaking to ABS-CBN News, Espenido said he was assigned to head the Calbayog City police in Samar to focus on running after private armed groups.

Espendio was the chief of police in Albuera, Leyte when the town's then-mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was a drug suspect, was shot dead inside his jail cell in 2016.

He was then transferred to Ozamiz the following year when then-Mayor Reynaldo "Aldong" Parojinog and 14 others linked to illegal drugs were killed in a series of pre-dawn raids.

• Albuera Mayor Espinosa shot dead inside jail cel
• Ozamiz mayor, 14 others killed in police raid

Espenido was transferred to Virac last month before being assigned to Calbayog.

Samar is among the provinces where more troops were deployed to prevent the spread of "lawless violence and acts of terror," under Malacanang's memorandum order no. 32.--