The Philippines is ready to “stand by” its Middle Eastern allies and deploy government troops in case they come under attack, President Duterte declared on Saturday, April 15.

The President has offered military assistance in appreciation of kindness and goodwill extended by Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to the Philippines, from helping boost the nation’s growth to providing employment to Filipino workers.

“It is of our national interest to see to it that you are stable, there is no trouble bugging you and we will stand by you,” the President said during a business forum in Doha last Saturday night.

“I’m even willing if you are in trouble, if you are short with manpower, I have a very disciplined military and I can send them here,” Duterte said, adding he made a similar commitment to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain during his recent visit there.

Duterte assured that the Filipino troops are “law abiding” and “well disciplined” and are prepared to “fight for national interest” as well as “protect and defend” the Gulf allies, if needed.

His only appeal was for the Gulf states to provide food and shelter for the government forces due to his government’s limited funds. “They will fight for you. I said we will stand by you. If there is a need, we will do it,” the President said.

Duterte insisted that he does not need the permission of the United States or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to deploy Filipinos troops to the Gulf region.

“I’m independent of them. I will only protect where our interest lies. There are millions of Filipinos here. You can be sure that if you need us, we will come here,” he said.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Genalyn Kabiling

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