Kach Medina Umandap - A Moderated Conversation - The View From Here: How I Visited Every Country on a Philippine Passport

The View From Here: How I Visited Every Country On A Philippine Passport, Moderated By DonDon Bales

Everyone told Kach Umandap that being Filipino meant her passport was weak. That traveling the world would be impossible. That she should just accept the reality of visa rejections and limited opportunities.

At age 20, working at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, she witnessed Filipino domestic helpers earning $140 a month. That moment ignited a promise: “One day, I will do something about this.”

What followed was a 12-year journey that took her from teaching English in Vietnamese villages ($17/hour, no TEFL) to pushing a massage table in a wheelbarrow through Peru, from getting stuck at Djibouti immigration to surviving a spinal injury in Pakistan – and discovering her secret superpower along the way: the Filipino diaspora.

In this deeply personal and uplifting keynote, Kach shares how growing up beside the Maharlika Highway taught her to sleep anywhere, how getting a USA visa in Bogota against all odds became her game-changer, and how Filipinos in the most unexpected corners of the world – from Bahamas hurricane zones to French Navy families in Djibouti – became her extended family and helped her become the first Filipina and youngest Filipino to visit all 195 countries using only a Philippine passport.

This is a story about turning “we can’t” into “we thrive in calamity.” About discovering that the things everyone said were limitations became superpowers. And about why community is stronger than any passport ranking.

Prepare to laugh, cry, and rethink what’s possible when you realize your biggest obstacle might actually be your greatest advantage.