DINDIN Santiago-Manabat is one proud ate to Jaja Santiago, as the now-Sachi Minowa has completed her Japanese naturalization.
Hours after Minowa made the news official, Manabat - coming off a stinging straight-sets Choco Mucho loss to sister team Creamline - was nonetheless pleased to talk about her younger sister’s biggest milestone yet.
READ: Turning Jaja-panese: Santiago now known as Sachi Minowa
And the first thing we have to understand is that the news was no longer a surprise to the Flying Titans ace.
“Matagal na niya sa’min sinabi ‘yun. Sorry Ja, ‘di ko alam kung tama bang sabihin ko ‘to, pero bago pa lang mag-Olympics, lumabas na ‘yung passport niya and dineclare na sa amin na Japanese citizen na siya,” Manabat said.
To an extent, career-wise, it was bittersweet for Minowa not to have made it in time for Japan’s Olympic campaign where the women’s volleyball team missed out on a quarterfinals berth and slid to ninth place.
But even if 28-year-old's Olympic dream wasn’t yet to be, her two-years-older ate Dindin believes 2028 in Los Angeles could still be Minowa's time for as long as she stays healthy.
After all, as Manabat would know best at 30 years old, age is just a number.
“May chance siguro sa susunod (na Olympics) after four years if kaya pa ng katawan niya. By that time, 32 years old na siya, pero healthy naman si Jaja," she said.
"Alam kong kaya niya kasi sa edad ko, kinakaya ko pa, siya pa kaya na mas healthy pa sa’kin?!”
Olympics and other career aspirations aside, all that matters for Manabat is to see her younger sister reach for the stars in the Land of the Rising Sun.
“Sobrang happy ko kasi yun naman talaga yung hinihintay ni Jaja. 'Di man siya nakapasok sa Olympics para i-represent yung Japan, happy naman siya na isa sa mga pangarap niya is natupad," she said.
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