We investigate the spectra and scintillation properties of Ce:YAlO3, Ce:Y3Al5O12, and Ce:LaAlO3. For Ce:YAlO3, the excitation spectrum is very similar with the absorption spectrum; for Ce:Y3Al5O12 and Ce:LaAlO3, the excitation spectra are different from the absorption spectra. Further, Ce:YAlO3 has better scintillation performance than Ce:Y3Al5O12; whereas Ce:LaAlO3 has not demonstrated scintillation performance to date. We also provide reasonable explanations for these experimental phenomena from the viewpoint of energy level structure.