MANILA — Leadership by example remains crucial in instilling discipline within the Philippine National Police (PNP), former PNP chief and Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said.

Lacson said this approach gives the PNP chief the moral authority to order personnel to refrain from extortion and other criminal activities.

“When I was Chief PNP, I had only one baseline – leadership by example. If the Chief PNP does not extort or engage in crime, he has the moral authority to tell his men to follow his example,” he said in English and Filipino during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

He made the remarks following recent incidents involving police personnel, including a rape case in Cebu, a stabbing incident between policemen at Camp Crame, and a Negros Oriental policeman who killed three fellow officers and a female civilian in a restaurant-bar.

Lacson recalled that during his term as PNP chief from 1999 to 2001, he led efforts to cleanse the police force of rogue elements, which he said resulted in high public trust and approval ratings for the PNP.

He said he trusts acting PNP chief Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. to work with Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla in disciplining what he described as ICU, or Inept, Corrupt and Undisciplined, police officers.

“Nartatez knows my style as Chief PNP. I hope he with the help of the DILG secretary will discipline the police,” Lacson said.

In the meantime, Lacson said he plans to file legislation aimed at strengthening the PNP’s ability to deal with rogue members by making its Internal Affairs Service (IAS) independent.

“The IAS must be separate from the PNP and have more teeth and more power. For now, it seems to be an adjunct of the PNP and is not truly independent,” he said.