DEBATING THE 2012 BUDGET: Senator Franklin M. Drilon, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, delivers his sponsorship speech at the start of plenary debates today, November 15, 2011, discussing the passage of House Bill No. 5023 or the proposed General Appropriations Act of 2012. According to Drilon, the 2012 budget would serve as the lifeblood that would sustain the national economy and the fuel that would rev up the nation’s engine of growth as the Aquino administration implements reform measures to curb graft and corruption in public service. Listening to Drilon (from left) are Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Chief Cayetano Paderanga. (PRIB Photo by Joseph Vidal)