President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to send battalions of Filipino soldiers to Jordan if the Middle Eastern country needs them to fight the Islamic militants.

Duterte made the commitment in his speech during the business forum in Jordan on Thursday.

"If there is anything that we can do, if you are short of your army, let me know. One hundred ten million. How much o how --- You need one battalion? Two, three, four, five? I'll send them to you," he said.

Duterte said he visited Jordan because he wants to make friends with Jordanians.

"That is the very essence of my visit," he said as he also invited the Jordanian businessmen to invest in the Philippines.

Duterte said he would form a department that would receive the applications of those who want to do business in the Philippines.

"I will create a department just to receive your application. We will do the processing. We will give you a list, a shopping list of what to produce. If everything is in order, there’s no need for you to follow it up. We will advise you that your papers have been approved and that you can start your business. And there will be a roadmap there, it’s a map where you can --- it’s color-coded. See whether it’s good for mining here, it’s good for agriculture, fishing," he added. Celerina Monte/DMS