In the world of sports, changing citizenships isn’t anything new. In basketball leagues here in the Philippines,  schools “import” rising basketball stars from other countries to gain an edge. But while we take in athletes from other countries, we’ve also lost some of our own to others for several reasons, notably better opportunities and support offered in other countries. Here are some of the Filipino athletes who have switched nationalities:

Jaja Santiago

Jaja Santiago recently announced that she has secured her Japanese citizenship, making her eligible to play for the Japanese national team. Now named Sachi Minowa, she currently plays for JT Marvelous of Japan’s Volleyball League.

“Now that I have already obtained my Japanese citizenship, in my heart, blood, mind, and soul, I am always a Filipina who was born in the Philippines,” she said in her Instagram post.

In the Philippines, she started her career with the National University, playing in the UAAP and leading the team to win back-to-back championships in the Shakey’s V-League 13th Season Collegiate Conference. In that tournament, she secured the Conference Most Valuable Player award and the Best Middle Blocker. She also represented the country in international tournaments as part of the national team, playing in the Southeast Asian Games in 2015, 2017, and 2022.

When she started her professional career in Japan, the Japan Volleyball Association offered her a place in the Japanese national team’s training camp. Along with Melissa Valdez, she trained with the 26-member Japanese national volleyball training pool.

Maxine Esteban

Fencing star Maxine Esteban started her career with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, earning the titles Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player for USSAP’s Season 81 in 2018 and leading the Ateneo Women’s Fencing team to win the UAAP Season 81 overall championships.

She also represented the Philippines in international competitions, taking home medals from 2018 Fédération Internationale d’Escrime Junior World Cup; 2017, 2019, and 2021 Southeast Asian Games; and the 2021 FIE Tournoi Satellite. She became the first Filipino to win a medal in a FIE satellite event.

However, last year, she changed her nationality and started representing Ivory Coast. Maxine immediately brought Côte d’Ivoire a brozen medal in the 2023 African Fencing Championships and a silver medal in the 2024 African Championships.

Yuka Saso

In 2021, Filipino-Japanese golf star Yuka Saso chose to keep her Japanese citizenship. In Japan, law states that dual citizens must choose their nationality before they turn 22, and if they choose to be a Japanese citizen, they must “renounce their foreign nationality.”

In the Philippines, Yuka started playing golf when she was only 8 years old. She quickly proved her prowess in the sport, bringing home prestige, including the championship for the US Women’s Open in 2021. This win made her the first Filipino to win a major gold championship in golf.

Before this, she bagged double gold medals in the 2018 Asian Games, along with fellow Filipino golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go.

Wesley So

A chess prodigy at a young age, Wesley So became the Philippines’ youngest grandmaster at only 14 years old in 2007. Just a year later, he became the youngest chess player to pass a 2600 Elo rating, breaking Magnus Carlsen’s record. He has represented the Philippines in international chess tournaments, bringing home a silver from the 2010 Asian Games in Jakarta and two golds from the 2011 Asian Games in Jakarta and 2013 Summer Universiade in Russia.

However, after becoming jaded by the politicking in the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Wesley started the process of changing his nationality to the United States in 2013. “It was almost impossible to get ahead in the Philippines. So I thought I should just use my chess to get an education in the States and maybe find another job,” he said in an interview with Spin.ph.

A year later, he started representing the United States, even dominating the US Chess Championship thrice. In 2017, he became the 11th player to pass 2800 Elo, with a rating of 2822, making him the fifth-highest-rated player in history. While he is currently at No. 10 in world rankings, Wesley peaked at No. 2 in the 2017 FIDE rating list.

The Bacoor, Cavite native officially became a US citizen in 2021.

Alex Pagulayan

Nicknamed “The Lion,” pool player Alex Pagulayan grabbed the world’s attention after winning the 2004 World Pool Championship in Taiwan, bringing home three gold medals from the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. However, in 2012, he switched citizenships to represent Canada instead, citing less competition with other Filipino players.

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