MANILA, Philippines -- Faced with a new impeachment attempt, and an impending revival of the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the country could not "waste time" on "political intrigue and grandstanding."

Arroyo said Congress should work on legislation to ease poverty and cushion the impact of the global financial crisis.

In a speech before signing the Credit Information Act Friday, the President said: "We look forward to Congress adding even more gifts to better protect our people. We cannot waste time on political intrigues and grandstanding. Remaining reforms await our action."

"Let us continue to endeavor to help the ordinary Filipino stretch his paycheck," she said.

Businessman Jose de Venecia III led the filing of another impeachment complaint against Arroyo last month on charges of election fraud and corruption, including the alleged overprice of the government's botched $329-million contract with China's ZTE Corp. for the national broadband network project.

On Tuesday, former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, accused of funneling P728 million in fertilizer funds to the President's campaign kitty in 2004, was deported back to the country from the United States, where he was denied political asylum.

The House of Representatives will tackle the impeachment complaint when sessions resume on November 10. Senators are still arguing over whether or not its investigation into the fertilizer fund controversy should be revived.