Sarah Abellon-Alikes, Sherry Mae Soledad, Joanne Villanueva, Rachel Mariano and Asia Gepte, and other 18 individuals, were charged with murder and attempted murder related to a gun firing incident that occurred in Ilocos Sur in August 4, 2017. Charges against different individuals including women human rights defenders have been filed by the 81st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) and the 71st Division Reconnaissance Company. All five women belong to various organisations that promote genuine recognition of the Cordillera indigenous peoples rights to their ancestral lands and resources, human rights and socioeconomic services. The 5 women activists are working with their respective organisations to raise awareness on the situation of Cordillera indigenous peoples and response to these situations. More than half of the Cordillera region’s 1.8 million hectares land area remain blanketed with various mining applications of big foreign companies. The communities where these applications and operations are located are heavily militarized by troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The military’s presence in the communities has been resulting in various human rights violations ranging from harassment, intimidation, illegal detention, trumped-up charges, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial killings and rape. The victims are mostly leaders and members of peoples’ organizations, and human rights and environmental defenders.