Manila, Oct. 23 -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday said its engineering units have been tasked to help boost the country's territorial defense.

"While the AFP has long been a partner in national development, our engineering units are now being transformed into combat engineer units to strengthen our capabilities for territorial defense and security operations," the AFP said in a statement.

Despite this, the military said if called upon, members of its Corps of Engineers can be deployed to support other government agencies in any developmental initiatives.

"We remain ready to support government initiatives when officially directed and consistent with our mandate," it said.

The AFP issued the statement after it was...