Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, Western Visayas region police director, said Saturday the reassignment of Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido from Ozamiz to Iloilo was cancelled after a suspected top drug lord and his companion was killed Friday night.

Binag said they received an official document from the Philippine National Police national headquarters cancelling the reassignment of Espenido as officer-in-charge of the Iloilo City police office.

Espenido was chief of police in Albuera City when its mayor, Rolando Espinosa Sr., who is linked in illegal drugs and inmate Raul Yap were shot inside their cell on November 2016,

He was the chief of police in Ozamiz when city mayor Reynaldo Parojinog was killed in a gun fight with the policemen on July 30.

Binag said Senior Superintendent Henry Bi?as was assigned as the director of Iloilo which took effect last Friday.

“The moment Binas reports here that will be implemented”, he said. Binag refused to say whether Espenido's rank was an issue since a rank of superintendent is at least needed to become city police chief.

Richard Prevendido, Iloilo City's alleged drug lord and his nephew Jason Prevendido were killed in a police operation after cops said they resisted being served with an arrest warrant for Richard.

“This has a big impact in the operation of illegal drugs in Iloilo in the Western Visayas because Richard Prevendido is the contact of the drug lords and he also sends drugs to their region”, said Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, acting head of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office in a radio interview at dzBB.

"We have been looking for Richard Prevendido for a long time," said PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa in a separate radio interview.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced on August 28 that that he will transfer Espenido to Iloilo city to solve the drug problem in the area. He said Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog is included in the narcolist.

Dela Rosa said he is not sure if Mabilog is connected to Prevendido.

“I'm not sure but presumably they know each other since they are both natives of Iloilo but for us to say he is connected to Mayor Mabilog, we cannot establish that, " he said in a radio interview.

Dela Rosa said three personalities involved in drugs surrendered to the PNP. He said the police is monitoring these three personalities. Alanna Ambi/DMS