MANILA, Philippines - Despite having been appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the magistrates of the Supreme Court will be fair in judging the legality of the Truth Commission, Malacañang said.

In a press conference, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said “we have to trust the institution…They are the final arbiter. They will be ruling on the case based on the executive order, not because they are appointees of [Arroyo].”

A case has not been lodged yet, but this early, the Aquino administration is already preparing for a legal battle in defending Executive Order 1.

On Friday, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III signed his first executive order that created the Truth Commission.

It is expected to investigate various anomalies linked to the past administration like the “Hello, Garci” scandal, the botched US$329-million NBN-ZTE telecommunications deal, and the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

Opposition groups said they will file a case before the Supreme Court.

Minority leader Edcel Lagman of Lakas-KAMPI-CMD had said the commission suffers from “constitutional infirmities” since only Congress can create such bodies and allocate funds for it.

On Monday, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago also joined the calls.

She described the Truth Commission a product of a “very shallow legal preparation.”

Palace defended anew the Truth Commission, saying no less than 2 former magistrates agreed to participate.

Lacierda said former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. and former associate justice Romeo Callejo are not amateurs.

Despite this, he also dismissed questions raised against the motives of the Truth Commission naysayers, most of whom are allies of the former President.

“Motives are immaterial here…Karapatan nila na mag-file sa SC,” he said.