MANILA - Senator Bam Aquino is optimistic that the bill seeking free tuition for state universities and colleges (SUCs) will become law in next year.

The Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, together with the Committee on Finance, held its first public hearing Wednesday on proposals for the government to subsidize the tuition of students in state universities and colleges.

"Marami sa amin tinutulak ito. May six or seven bills na tungkol dito, konti na lang pasado na iyan. Pinag-uusapan na lang kung ano ang methodology, kung ano ang pamamaraan… I’m confident we can get this done within a year," Aquino said.

Six bills of the same nature have been filed thus far by Senators Sonny Angara (SBN133), Francis Pangilinan (SBN962), Sherwin Gatchalian (SBN198), Bam Aquino (SBN177), JV Ejercito (SBN158), and Ralph Recto (SBN61).

All of the bills seek to institutionalize government subsidy for tuiton, but Angara's bill covered both the tuition and the miscellaneous fees.

Angara said, it is important that the government provide more funding to tertiary education as this will make the country more competitive in the labor market.

Aquino expects the bill to be passed by 2017, and its implementation in 2018.

"This will be in the billions, but it’s worth it na matulungan ang mga kabataan na makatapos ng kolehiyo," Aquino said of the budget for the proposed measure.