PNPA Dean of Academics Brig. Gen. Jon Arnaldo. (File photo)
MANILA -- More than 22,000 applicants are set to take the Philippine National Police Academy Cadet Admission Test (PNPACAT) on Sunday.
In a press briefing Friday, PNPA Dean of Academics Brig. Gen. Jon Arnaldo, reported that 22,753 applicants will take this year's examination compared to last year's 12,301 examinees.
Arnaldo said the applicants will take the examination in 31 centers nationwide.
The PNPA targets to get 350 candidates from over 20,000 applicants who will take the four-year Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) and various skills training related to Police Science.
Arnaldo said once they pass the exam, the cadets will receive PHP38,000 worth of training allowance monthly, which is equivalent to the salary of a police executive master sergeant.
On September 30, the PNP formally took over the recruitment, education, field training and deployment of police officers.
"In short, we now cover everything that makes a complete police officer, from recruitment to retirement," PNP spokesman, Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, he said the reported recent hazing was an isolated case, and the PNPA is promoting a squad system to prevent a repeat of such incident inside its premises.
"We have internal rules and regulations and we believe that discipline is moral a foundation," Arnaldo told reporters in a press briefing in Quezon City Police District.
Recently, 4th class cadet John Desiderio was reportedly maltreated by five upper-class cadets who are now facing administrative charges that could lead to dismissal.
Earlier, PNPA spokesman Lt. Col. Byron Allatog said the five cadets were immediately placed in isolation pending the results of the investigation.
"The affidavit complaint of subject cadet was already received by our investigator in the hospital and from the initial respondents of three cadets, two others are identified or a total of five now," said Allatog.
Allatog said police investigators from the Silang Municipal Police Station already met with Desiderio to assist him in the filing of separate criminal charges.
The criminal charges would likely be related to the violation of the anti-hazing law.
Desiderio was taken to the PNP General Hospital on the morning of October 29 after complaining of stomach pains.
He was later transferred to the East Avenue Medical Center. (PNA)
