HONG KONG/MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Monday she will continue with the country's economic reform until her term expires in 2010, while passing on the daunting work to improve what she described as "quite immature" politics in the country to her successor.

Speaking at the 11th Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong, said she would have wanted political reforms through amendments in the Philippine Constitution but she admitted that there was not enough time to do this under her administration.

"I've always said that the Philippines is like two Philippines -- one is the economy, which has been doing quite well especially with our past economic reforms, and the other one is our political system, which really quite immature," Arroyo said in her keynote speech at the Asian Investment Conference.

"And I would have wanted just as we reformed the economy to be able to reform the politics of our country but there may not be enough time," said Arroyo.

"I just hope the next president will have the political will to make those political reforms," she said.

Attempts by her allies in Congress to push for a change in the 1987 Constitution had been met by strong opposition for fear it might only be used to extend the President's stay in Malacañang.

About 20 Filipinos protested outside the hotel where the conference was held to demand Arroyo's resignation over a corruption scandal involving her and her husband back home.

Arroyo is on a three-day visit to Hong Kong where she is also meeting business executives in a bid to drum up foreign investment in her country, despite its political troubles.

She said the Philippine's macroeconomics fundamentals are stronger than ever, citing the economic reforms she initiated to boost revenues, crackdown on tax cheats and modernize the banking and financial sector.

While she has been credited for her economic reforms, she has grappled with political unrest stemming from corruption allegations implicating her and her husband, vote-rigging and human rights violations.

Arroyo has survived three opposition impeachment bids and at least four coup attempts.