Church challenges anti-death penalty advocates

(UPDATE) AS the Philippines marks the 16th anniversary of a law that prohibited death penalty in the country, the Catholic Church challenged anti-death penalty advocates to "exert more effort" in influencing public attitude towards the value of human life.

Bishop Joel Baylon, head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, said they need to work hard to change the views of Filipinos who favor the reimposition of death penalty.