Amid the prevailing negative perception about the police, cadets of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) have been reminded of the importance of honesty especially when they already enter the service after graduation.

In a leadership forum initiated by PNPA director Police Brig. Gen. Eric Noble, discussed how respect is earned and how an organization effectively works under good leadership.

Guest speakers were retired Army commanding general Lt. Gen. Jaime delos Santos and Astrolito Del Castillo, a former financial advisor to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“The distinguished gentlemen spoke to the audience about the qualities of a respected leader, emphasizing that a leader needs to communicate a clear vision to his followers because without vision, there would be no clear direction for leadership and the followers would be left following their superior blindly,” the statement read.

They also discussed the need to resist temptation in the service.

A number of PNPA cadets have been involved in various cases of wrongdoings in the police service.

In the PNP, there were cases of lower and junior ranking officers who ended up being charged with corruption in connection with the procurement and other projects. Some of them would reason out that they merely followed an order under presumption of regularity.

Both Delos Santos and Del Castillo told the cadets that they should maintain the four important qualities of a good leader— honesty, inspiration, competence, and forward-lookingness: “PNPA personnel and cadets should exhibit and apply these themselves. "It is crucial that one practices these four characters in order to become a great and respected leader. As it is, leadership is a matter of ascendancy.

The PNP, a law enforcement agency where most of the PNPA graduates would choose to enlist, has been the favorite subject of criticisms over the years, which sometimes translate to low trust and approval ratings based on surveys.