MANILA, Philippines – It was with great reluctance that National University (NU) star Jaja Santiago turned down an offer from top Thailand club Bangkok Glass to play for them as one of their imports.

It was reported last weekend that Bangkok Glass offered Santiago a six-month contract worth $4000 per month to play for them, with Thai outlet SMM Sport confirming that the club made "basic inquiries" about the 6-foot-5 Filipina.

"The Rabbit Women have announced that the negotiations to acquire Jaja Santiago were only in the initial phase and have negotiations have died down already," according to SMM Sport. "The team is already on the look for another foreign player who fits in with the team's style."

"While Bangkok Glass has admitted that they did start the process of recruiting Santiago, it was only in the stage of basic inquiries."

• READ: Santiago gets an offer to play for Bangkok Glass

Santiago knew that Bangkok Glass' offer was a great opportunity for her, but she simply could not accept it at this point in her career.

"I know it's a big opportunity for me as an athlete to represent our country, pero hindi ko po talaga siya maga-grab ngayon," she admitted.

"Gusto ko muna tapusin 'yung pag-aaral ko, and other commitments ko dito sa Pilipinas," Santiago explained. "Gusto ko rin na palakasin 'yung katawan ko at mag-gain pa ng maraming experience dito sa atin, at mag-improve muna bago pumunta sa kanila or sa ibang teams man na kukuha sa akin na international."

Had she accepted Bangkok Glass' offer, Santiago would have followed in Alyssa Valdez's footsteps as the second Filipina to play in the Thai League as an import. The former Ateneo de Manila University superstar suited up for 3BB Nakornnont last year, before committing to play for Attack Line in Taiwan this year.

This is not the first time that Santiago had to turn down an opportunity to play abroad. It can be recalled that as a 17-year-old, she was offered a scholarship by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a Division 1 school in the US NCAA. She opted to stay in NU, citing her family as the reason.

"Parehas lang na sobrang hirap pag-isipan, masakit sa puso," Santiago said of turning down UCLA, and now Bangkok Glass. "Same sila na good opportunity."

Still, the news of Bangkok Glass' offer has energized Santiago as she prepares to lead the Lady Bulldogs in the Finals of the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference.

"It's a really good motivation for me, and also an inspiration to improve my skills and myself as an athlete," said Santiago, who is also set to enter her final season of eligibility for NU in Season 80.

"Mas gutom ka sa pag-gain ng experience, at mas gusto mo pa magpalakas ng katawan, para sa susunod na magkaroon ng opportunity na ganoon, ready na ako," she added.

In the meantime, Bangkok Glass is moving on and has already signed Sona Mikyskova, an open hitter from the Czech Republic. The club is also "in talks with other volleyball stars from Asia and Europe."

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)