A Filipino traveler and digital nomad advocate now has her name permanently inscribed in the official records of the House of Representatives, after lawmakers passed a resolution recognizing her as the first Filipina — and the youngest Filipino — to complete visits to all 195 countries and territories worldwide using solely a Philippine passport.
House Resolution No. 859, filed during the Twentieth Congress First Regular Session and e-received on March 10, 2026, was introduced by Representative Maria Cristina C. Angeles of the Second District of Tarlac. The resolution formally congratulates Katrina “Kach” Medina Umandap for completing her twelve-year global journey on January 6, 2025, when she entered Sudan as her final destination — a country that had been inaccessible to her for over two years due to an ongoing civil war.
The congressional action arrives as Umandap has been named Apex Awardee of the Emerging Global Filipino Icon 2026 at the Global Filipino Icon Awards held in Dubai — a recognition the resolution cites as further evidence of her standing as an international ambassador of Filipino excellence.
The resolution makes clear that a House Resolution differs from legislation. No presidential signature is required, and it creates no new legal obligations. What it does instead is place a person’s contributions permanently into the legislative record of the Republic — a distinction that Umandap herself described as deeply significant. “It will be there long after I am gone,” she said. “And that, to me, is extraordinary.”
She credited Representative Angeles for introducing the measure. “I want to thank Representative Cristy Angeles of the Second District of Tarlac for introducing this resolution,” Umandap said.
Beyond the travel record itself, the resolution enumerates a broader body of work. Lawmakers noted her advancement of the concept of the Remote Filipino Worker, her recognition as a pioneer of digital nomad advocacy within the ASEAN region, and her civic service as a Reservist of the Philippine Air Force Reserve Command. A community project she led in Dipnay, North El Nido in July 2023 — combining livelihood training, satellite internet connectivity, and renewable energy access — was cited as a replicable model of grassroots digital empowerment.
The document also references her April 24, 2025 reception at Malacañang Palace, where President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. acknowledged her achievement as a representation of Filipino presence and contribution across every part of the world.
Legislators further noted her platforms — Two Monkeys Travel Blog, FilipinoPassport.com, TravelWithKach.com, and a television program — as consistent vehicles for promoting responsible tourism and intercultural understanding.
The resolution also expresses congressional support for expanding digital literacy, lawful remote employment opportunities, and globally competitive skills development for Filipinos, aligning Umandap’s advocacy with the country’s national development agenda.
The milestone that set all of this in motion began not with a grand plan but with a Philippine passport ranked among the weakest in the world. Umandap, a University of the Philippines Los Baños economics graduate from San Pablo City, Laguna, spent four years working in Kuwait and Iraq before leaving corporate life in 2013 to pursue travel full-time — funding the entire journey independently through her online businesses.
Her next undertaking, #Mission1642, is already underway. The initiative aims to bring digital literacy and remote work education to all 1,642 cities and municipalities across the Philippines, with a pilot launch conducted in Barangay Tama, Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental, in partnership with national government agencies and local stakeholders.
