BONTOC, Mountain Province — Residents and provincial officials on Thursday observed Timicheg Day Against Trafficking in Persons, honoring indigenous peoples from Mountain Province who were exploited in colonial-era human exhibitions more than a century ago.

The annual observance was established through an executive order signed by Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan on 30 July 2025. The measure seeks to address historical injustices while promoting vigilance against human trafficking and illegal recruitment.

The observance is named after Timicheg, a young Bontoc Igorot who was among 60 indigenous people taken to Belgium in 1913 to be displayed as living exhibits at the Ghent International Exposition.

After the event, the group was allegedly abandoned by its recruiter and left to endure extreme poverty and harsh weather. Timicheg died from hypothermia and emotional trauma before the remaining members of the group were repatriated.

Provincial officials also recalled similar exploitative displays at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition and the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, where indigenous Filipinos were subjected to dehumanizing conditions for public exhibition.

Under the executive order, schools across Mountain Province are directed to include these historical events in local history lessons and integrate human trafficking and illegal recruitment awareness into their educational programs.

Provincial leaders said the forced transport and commercial exploitation of indigenous peoples fit modern definitions of human trafficking, making historical remembrance an important tool in preventing similar abuses today.

The province called on communities to remain united in raising awareness, protecting human rights, and supporting efforts to combat human trafficking, emphasizing that the crime continues to rob victims of their freedom, dignity, and hope.