Wait, so they have already been married all along?
Jaja Santiago has carved quite a life in Japan.
Earlier, this year, she has opted to take the Japanese citizenship. Even before that, she has been studying how to speak the country’s vernacular language fluently.
It’s also known among fans that Santiago has found love in Japan in the name of Taka Minowa, a volleyball coach. What's not exactly known is their official relationship status.
In August 2022, the former NU Lady Bulldog shared on social media their engagement.
“Too many attempts, and finally without him kneeling to ask me, I said yes!” Jaja wrote in the caption of her post, recalling the funny outtakes of Taka’s proposal.
In their social media posts that followed over the next months, however, the two would be dropping clues that they have been already married.
“I can’t explain how grateful I am to be your wife and celebrate our birthdays together,” Santiago wrote in her birthday greeting post for her beloved partner in September of last year.
“I love you asawa ko!” Taka wrote in a separate post uploaded in April this year.
And now, through a heartwarming video, Jaja seems to have put the questions to rest as she sent a wedding anniversary greeting to the volleyball mentor through her Instagram page.
“To my beloved husband, happy first wedding anniversary! Thank you for being my rock, my support, and my everything!”
It’s only July, and the timelines don’t match according to their social media declarations. But hey, they don’t answer to us. They don't owe us anything. All we know is: the two are in love.
The Filipino middle blocker, who has recently signed with a new volleyball team, has been in Japan for close to five years. And all signs point to her spending her future in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Whether she’s here in the Philippines or there in Japan, true fans will continue rooting for Jaja.