MANILA - Former Senate President Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel believes revising the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for a federal form of government is vital and not "lethal" at all.

• Federalism a 'leap to hell', 1987 Constitution 'best in the world', says Davide

Responding to former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., Pimentel stressed that charter change aims for federalism, which would solve problems the local government code failed to address.

"Contrary to the statement of my dear friend Chief Justice Davide, the proposal to revise the constitution by adopting the federal system is not a lethal proposal. It is a vital proposal to give life and meaning to the intent of good governance," he said Wednesday.

Pimentel and Davide were both invited as resource persons in a Senate committee hearing that tackles proposed constitutional amendments.

In his opening statement Davide said a shift to a federal form of government would be a "leap to hell", saying there is no need to revise the 1987 Constitution as it is the "best in the world."

Pimentel, meanwhile, said there is no need to revise the good provisions in the 1987 Constitution. He said Congress should focus only on changes that would empower local governance.

"If we have to revise the constitution to give meaning to the devolution that was intended by the local government code, we might was well move forward the scope, the power that we are going to be devolve to the local government by adopting the federal system," he said.

Pimentel is the father of current Senate President Koko Pimentel who is also the president of PDP-Laban, the political party of President Rodrigo Duterte pushing for a federal form of government to decentralize power from the country's capital.