Marcos honors three Pinoy globetrotters in Palace visit
President Marcos on Thursday feted three Filipino globetrotters who have visited all 193 member-countries of the United Nations, a rare achievement that is shared by less than 500 people.
This was as he received three members of the Filipino World Travelers (FWT), an international community, who paid a courtesy call on him in Malacañang.
The travelers are Odette Ricasa, 79, the first Filipino to achieve the feat; Luisa Yu, 80, the oldest Filipino to visit all UN countries; and Kach Medina Umandap, 36, the youngest to achieve the rare feat.
During their meeting on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Marcos and his well-traveled guests talked about their unique experiences while traveling the world.
The President expressed his amazement at their dedication of achieving their goal to visit all UN countries, adding that he wanted to meet them and “benefit from their experiences” as seasoned travelers.
Mr. Marcos met them three hours before he and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos left for Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.
The funeral will take place April 26 (4 p.m. Philippine time), but the President is not expected back until April 28.
“Most importantly, we [Filipinos] are liked wherever we go. We create nice communities that help each other. So I am proud of you. I’m sure you left a whole trail of new friends and new Filipino fans everywhere in the world,” the President said.
Record of adventures
The three FWT members were joined by FWT founder Donalito Bales Jr., who wrote “galà: Adventures of the Most Well-Traveled Filipinos.”
According to its website, the FWT is an invitation-only organization composed of 74 members across the globe.
It aspires to become the “leading international community of purposeful Filipino global explorers using travel as a force for good.”
Bales also gave the President a copy of his book published in September 2021, which told the stories of Ricasa, Yu, Umandap, Bales and other Filipino travelers.
