Database nullable integer field has value 'NULL', cakephp displaying '0'

[Jawfin]

A few posts down on this forum you’ll find this discussion: -

Empty string in database instead of NULL

If I enter a value from a field that is empty via a form, an entry with an empty string is stored in the database. Could it be NULL instead? Is there anything to set, or is it a PHP CAKE feature? Thank You

It would seem this is an ongoing explanation over many years.
From what I understand, being that CakePHP is PHP language oriented, it makes sense - but please follow the thoughts there for clarity.