Jaja Santiago's days with the Philippine national team are over.

National team head coach Edson Jorge Souza de Brito revealed that the 27-year-old wing spiker is set to acquire Japanese citizenship that will make her eligible to see action in the Paris Olympics in 2024.

With that, Santiago is no longer expected to compete for the Philippines in major international tourneys ahead, including the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May and the 19th Asian Games in China in September.

The Brazilian tactician stressed that seeing the 6-foot-5 Santiago don the Japanese colors in the Olympics will be a proud moment, but it will be a major loss to Philippine volleyball.

"I don't think so because she has already started the process for (Japanese citizenship)," Souza de Brito said when asked if Santiago will still be able to reinforce the national squad.

"Bad for us, good for them. Good for her as well. I'm always hoping that she can be happy. As you know, she's a good player."

Santiago has been playing with the Ageo Medics in the Japanese V. League since 2018.

Two years ago, she revealed that her club offered her to become a naturalized player, a development that will pave the way for her to see action in the Olympics.

Making Santiago's bid to play for Japan easier is the fact that she is now engaged to Taka Minowa – the assistant coach of the Japanese national women's volleyball team.

In a separate interview, Dindin Manabat confirmed her sister's willingness to pursue Japanese citizenship.

"Actually, she really wants to stay in Japan. She is now processing her papers for naturalization. The process is now ongoing and we haven't really talked about if she can still play (for the Philippines) or not," Manabat said.