MANILA, Philippines - Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona on Wednesday said the decision of President Benigno Aquino to form a Truth Commission that will investigate corruption scandals linked to former President Arroyo is a step in the right direction.

Corona, the former chief legal counsel of Arroyo, said there is nothing wrong with finding out the truth about any public official.

“It’s always a step in the right direction to find out the truth in any presidency, in any administration, in any government. You cannot go wrong in finding out what the truth is. So whether it’s for the good, for the bad, the people have the right to know what the truth is,” Corona told reporters before the start of a Mass in Intramuros, Manila.

He noted that the history of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission actually has a similar function, which is to unearth facts about alleged irregularities in government.

President Aquino, one of Arroyo's critics, earlier said the Truth Commission would look into "any and all" controversies surrounding the departing president.

He specifically named three issues, the first being allegations she rigged the 2004 elections.

He said the commission would also look into a $329-million Internet broadband deal with a Chinese company that was eventually derailed following accusations Arroyo's allies had illegally profited from the planned contract.

He also said it would probe the alleged misuse by Arroyo's political allies of a 728-million-peso (15.68-million-dollar) government fertilizer fund.

Corona refused to comment about the capability of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide in leading the commission, noting that he does not want to judge his predecessor.

He also refused to say if the Truth Commission would be redundant after at least one graft complaint was filed against Arroyo before the Department of Justice.

"They don't have rules yet so it's hard for me to comment about the Truth Commission. Even Chief Justice Davide said they still have to determine the extent, the scope of their investigation," he said. With a report from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News