MANILA, Philippines — Calls for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte over corruption issues in the budget process and infrastructure projects would be the most “legitimate” remedy if the public no longer trusts them, a lawmaker and political leader said on Tuesday.

Kabataan Representative Renee Co noted that the 1987 Constitution provides clear steps for the country in the event of resignations by top officials.

“The Constitution is prepared for exactly these kinds of circumstances. [The framers] have contemplated the possibility of resignations, and they have provided minimum steps that must be achieved,” said Co, who is also a lawyer.

She cited Article VII, Section 10, which states that an acting president—typically the Senate president or House speaker—assumes office if both the President and Vice President vacate their posts. Congress must then convene on the third day of the vacancies at 10 a.m. and, within seven days, pass a law calling for a special election to be held not earlier than 45 days or later than 60 days.

Raymond Palatino, secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), echoed Co’s view, calling resignation a “perfectly legitimate, democratic and constitutionally contemplated remedy” if the highest officials lose the moral authority and public trust required to govern.

Palatino, a former representative of Kabataan party-list, cited Article VII, Section 8 of the Constitution, which recognizes the resignation of both the President and Vice President as a “mode of vacancy” that triggers the line of succession.

“The framers of the Constitution explicitly anticipated situations where a sitting president and vice president may no longer effectively lead the country,” Palatino said. “They provided a peaceful, orderly mechanism for this eventuality.”