Espenido returns to Eastern Visayas

Jovie Espenido

TACLOBAN CITY — A police officer who figured in high-profile cases in the government’s drug war is returning to Eastern Visayas region after a two-year absence.

Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, Eastern Visayas police director, said he received a directive from the Philippine National Police headquarters informing him about the reassignment of Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido.

Carlos, however, said he did not know where Espenido would be assigned in Eastern Visayas. Espenido is currently police chief of Virac town, Catanduanes province.

Albuera drug ops

Espenido was police chief of Albuera town in Leyte province two years ago when he led the dismantling of the illegal drug operations of the region’s biggest drug syndicate ran by Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr., whose father, Rolando Sr., was serving as mayor.

Espenido ran after the members of the drug group, forcing Mayor Espinosa to surrender to the police and Kerwin to leave the country.

The mayor was killed at the Leyte subprovincial jail in Baybay City on Nov. 5, 2016, reportedly in a shootout with policemen.

Espenido was transferred to Ozamiz City on Dec. 8, 2016. More than seven months into his Ozamiz assignment, he led an antidrug operation that killed Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others.