In a bid to fight human trafficking, Mountain Province has turned to history to secure the future.
The provincial government of Mountain Province has officially declared July 30 of every year as “Timicheg Day Against Trafficking in Persons.”
Department of Migrant Workers – Cordillera (DMW-CAR) said, “Timicheg” was a Bontoc man who was recruited in 1913 along with 59 others, to be exhibited in a human zoo at the Ghent International Exposition in the USA.
The Ghent International Exposition of 1913 was a world’s fair held in Ghent, Belgium, from April 26 to November 3, 1913.
It had an area of 130 hectares, making it larger than any previous Belgium expo, and it attracted 9,503,419 visitors, over 20 international pavilions.
The Bontoc delegation at that time were part of a display meant to show the “primitive” cultures under American rule in the Philippines.
Timicheg never made it home. He died in Belgium, overcome by the cold and depression while the remaining delegation was abandoned by their recruiter, a Richard Schneidewind, until the U.S. government arranged their repatriation to Manila.
Executive Order No 28 series 2025, by the Mountain Province is meant to serve as an act of historical rectification, affirming that “the memory of Timicheg and the other Igorots who were trafficked and exploited during the expositions should not be relegated to silence.”
The EO mandates that all educational institutions in the province teach about the historical context of these expositions to raise awareness and educate students on the realities and consequences of human trafficking. Maria Elena Catajan
