An award-winning author on the Philippines will speak on the present condition of that country at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Newman Catholic Student Center.

Author Dorothy Friesen is the director and founder of SYNAPSES, a Chicago-based organization. SYNAPSES tries to get Americans involved with international human rights issues.

The purpose is to get the experiences of others “into the hearts and minds of Americans,” she said. The organization “connects economic justice and spirituality with international and national issues,” Friesen said.

There are many problems in the Philippines, she said. During the three year presidency of Corazon Aquino, there have been numerous human rights abuses, Friesen said.

The most “startling” evidence of human rights violations are the 450,000 internal refugees left homeless after rival political factions bombed their villages, she said.

The refugees and other incidents of internal unrest have hurt Corazon Aquino’s popularity, which has waned since she was elected in 1986. Friesen said she thinks unrest over economic and military problems has contributed to the decrease in popular support.

Aquino has been fighting the armed wing of the National Democratic Front, an illegal organization, since 1987. When she first came to power, a cease fire was called and Aquino and the organization held peace negotiations, Friesen said.

The peace did not last long. In March 1987, negotiations were put aside and Aquino, in effect, declared war against the National Democratic Front, she said.

It is Filipino civilians that have been hurt most during the conflict, she said. In the last year, 10 rural pastors and priests have been murdered for speaking out against human rights violations, Friesen said.

The Philippines’ economic problems center around a growing $30 billion national debt which Friesen attributes to the excesses of the Ferdinand Marcos regime. Forty percent of the nation’s budget goes to pay interest on the deficit, she said.

The growing deficit has left no money for education and social welfare programs, Friesen said. The Philippines lacks a strong tax base in the Philippines because of a large lower class and small middle class. The two percent rich class usually avoids taxes, she said.

The government often raises food taxes, which hurts the poor the most, she said.

Friesen is the author of the award-winning book “Critical Choices: A Journey with the Filipino People.” She also is a member of the National Women’s Foreign Policy Council, and was named on of the “Hundred Women to Watch” in 1989 by Chicago Women Today magazine.

Friesen has been involved with the Philippines for 13 years. She was co-director of the Mennonite Central Committee in the Philippines for two years.

SYNAPSES also works with Asian immigrants in the Chicago area and has interest in human rights violations in South Africa and Central America. “We are committed to the idea of community development,” she said.

Friesen’s visit to the Newman Center will begin with a potluck dinner and Filipino music at 5:30 p.m. A public discussion will follow Friesen’s 7 p.m. presentation. Her appearance is sponsored by the Interfaith Network, the Wesley Foundation and United Campus Ministries.