MANILA- Some Filipino soldiers will be sent to the Gulf states not to engage in fighting, but for military training, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr said Sunday.

Esperon made the remarks following President Rodrigo Duterte's statement that he can send troops to the Middle East if necessary.

"If you are in trouble, if you are short with manpower, I have a very disciplined military and I can send them here. You will not have any trouble with them. They are law abiding, well-disciplined and they can stay here, just to send them to the borders," Duterte told businessmen in Qatar on Saturday.

"But I would like to ask you to just feed them because we don't have the money to spend to --- for their food. But give them shelters and they will fight for you. I said we will stand by you," he added.

In a press conference on Sunday, Esperon said the deployment of troops to the Middle East would be on the basis of training which the government is yet to set up.

"It would be on a basis of training, which we have yet to set up," he said, noting that the process would take about another 6 months or a year and that the process for selecting troops will be "very selective."

It will probably be based on specialized courses or training. It’s normal military-to-military cooperation, security cooperation," he said.

Esperon clarified that the deployment is not a military operational deployment and explained that the President's remarks of defending the Gulf states can cover a lot of things instead of just physical combat.

Duterte is currently in Qatar, the last stop for his state visits to 3 Middle East countries, the other two being Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

--with a report from Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News