THE FIRST FILIPINO TO VISIT ALL 193 COUNTRIES ON PH PASSPORT IS A SIGMA BETA

By: Brod Bebong Arreza’82 DLSU-AUF

THE FIRST FILIPINO TO VISIT ALL 193 COUNTRIES ON PH PASSPORT IS A SIGMA BETA

A brod once joked that a “Philippine passport” is an oxymoron.

Instead of allowing you to pass through ports, in reality it bars you, the fate that awaits those who carry the maroon document that is ranked among the least powerful in the world

A Pinoy gets to experience how steep the hurdle is first hand when applying for a visa, to Europe for example, where one has to submit a stack of documents, from bank statements to land titles, to name just a few.

Sabi nga ng isang brod na doctor na, based on the level of intrusiveness, parang “financial colonoscopy” daw.

But a Sigma Betan – with nothing but grace, guts, grit in her – was able to overcome this handicap, visiting all 193 countries, the first Filipino to do so, which landed her on the elite club of 500 , out of 8 billion souls in this planet, who have pulled it off.

And what makes Sis Kach Umandap’s ( UPLB ’06) rare feat more admirable is that she did it at a ripe young age of 36, and on her own dime, as no trust fund kid this Laguna native is.

In one of her FB posts three years ago, she narrated how hard it was getting into Saudi Arabia, during the tailend of the pandemic, and with a visa veil still shrouding the country for travellers like her .

But when she set foot on the 171st country she would come to visit, the Malmons of Arabia rolled out the red carpet for her and despite a tight itinerary , she made quality time for them, including gracing a Beta Sigma sponsored basketball tournament.

And to her gazillions of followers on FB, IG and official website she proudly declared her Sigma Beta creds , with photos of pogi brods in frat shirt to boot.

Kaya totoo ang kasabihan : A journey is best measured in brods and sisters one meets along the way rather than in miles.

Take it from another brod whose travel routine is to taste the most popular beer in the country he’s in. It’s not the drink, he says, but the one you jug with, especially the good and noble whose favorite greeting is “Cheers !”

From the oldest sorority in Southeast Asia comes the Filipina who has travelled the widest, fastest.

And the greatest fraternity on earth is mighty proud of her.

At just 36 years old, Kach Umandap became the first and youngest Filipino to travel to all 193 United Nations-recognized countries and two observer states, using only a Philippine passport—a feat that highlights not just her personal achievements, but also her advocacy for fellow Filipinos.