MANILA (UPDATED) - President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said he is mulling bringing back controversial police officer Supt. Jovie Espenido to Ozamiz City.

Duterte claimed that Espenido was “popular” among Ozamiz residents and he might just have another job for the cop.

“Ang order ko kay Espenido, ubusin ang p***g i***g…” Duterte said in a speech in Ozamiz City during the groundbreaking of an airport there.

In the middle of his speech, Duterte made a phone call to Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde to tell the latter that he might bring back Espenido to Ozamiz. The crowd cheered in agreement when asked by the President whether he should push through with such a plan.

Albayalde acceded to Duterte’s orders and told reporters that he will issue an order directing the transfer of Espenido.

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.

Espenido was transferred to Virac, Catanduanes last month before his current assignment in Calbayog City, Samar.

Samar is among provinces where more troops were deployed to prevent the spread of "lawless violence and acts of terror" under Malacanang's Memorandum Order No. 32.

Duterte also again lashed out at suspected drug-linked politicians, such as Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot and the Parojinogs of Ozamiz, whom he threatened to “wipe from the face of the earth.”