Manila- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Wednesday urged her political critics to stop investigating allegations of corruption against her government and instead join efforts to ensure food security.

The opposition-led Senate has been conducting various probes into alleged anomalies in government, including a kickback scandal involving a key ally of Arroyo and her husband, lawyer Jose Miguel.

Arroyo alleged the investigations were divert attention from economic concerns, such as rising prices of rice and other food products.

"It is essential for our political leaders to join hands and close ranks to meet this challenge," she said in a speech honouring war veterans. "This is no time for political posturing. We need food on the table, not headlines in the newspapers."

In an apparent swipe at continuing investigations by the Senate on corruption charges against her, her husband and allies, Arroyo said, "No endless investigation will put rice on the table, a computer in a classroom or health clinic in a village."

Among the controversies being investigated by the Senate is the allegation that a key ally of Arroyo and her husband received millions of dollars in commissions from a scrapped 329-billion-dollar government contract with a Chinese firm.

The Senate is also looking at reviving a probe into allegations Arroyo cheated in the 2004 presidential elections, which she won over a popular actor who has since died.

Amid concerns of a looming rice shortage, Arroyo said her government was implementing a three-phase plan to ensure that the situation in the country remains stable and appealed to the public not to panic.(dpa)