Police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido was not surprised with President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement that he is now the chief of police of Iloilo City.
He said he had known that he was being considered for the post.
Iloilo is considered the bedrock of illegal drugs in Visayas.
"See you in Iloilo," Espenido said in a radio interview minutes after Duterte spoke about the appointment in a speech at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on the occasion of National Heroes' Day.
Amid reports of policemen becoming controversial due to stories on deaths of innocent civilians during drug operations, Espenido said it is never his style to rely on rumors, speculations and second-hand information.
He stressed that before he makes arrests, he first secures first-hand information to confirm if a subject of an operation is a confirmed illegal drug trader.
"Sa sarili ko, nagtatrabaho talaga ako para ako mismo ang makapagsabi na may illegal drugs (on my own, I really work so I myself can be sure that there are illegal drugs)," he said.
Espenido added he constantly receives information on personalities engaged in narcotics trade, yet he considers these reports as mere leads in the campaign against drug lords.
