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EXCLUSIVE: New campers Paco and Seichi hope to boost importance of LGBTQIA+ visibility on ‘Sparks Camp’

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<div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust:100%">Blacksheep’s groundbreaking queer dating show </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust:100%"><em>Sparks Camp</em></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust:100%"> has welcomed two new additions, Francisco Paco Laurel and Seichi Ozaraga, who have entered the camp with a bang as this season&#x27;s highly anticipated &quot;pasabog&quot; or surprise twist.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Their introduction not only spices up the dynamics among the campers but also sheds light on the importance of visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>In an exclusive interview with PUSH, Paco and Seichi shared their experiences and motivations for joining the show, reflecting on the significance of their roles both personally and for the broader community. Paco and Seichi both expressed excitement about being introduced as the “pasabog” this season.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Paco remarked, “When we realized we both were the pasabog syempre it was really happy and exciting because from that we’d be able to add more spice to the show.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Seichi echoed this sentiment, saying, “I think I was excited when I was told na kami yung magiging pasabog, and I think it kind of played into how people perceived me. I know why, bakit nila akong ginawang pasabog, para ma-change yung dynamic ng mga other campers with each other.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Paco joined the show with three primary motivations: “One is for my younger self, who is always afraid to try new things. Second is for my family, as an open love letter to them that I could finally be myself around them. Third is for me, personally, to find a spark by dating.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>When asked about the importance of the show in terms of visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community, Paco emphasized the need to break stigmas.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>“There’s always this stigma na ‘Oh Breadwinner yan, pero bakla.’ ‘Oh he’s an engineer, pero bakla’, ‘Oh he’s a well-known celebrity, pero bakla.’ So, when will that end?,” Paco questioned. “We need to have the SOGIE bill as one of the things we can do to have equality and equal rights for everyone. Second, I think we want to tell stories. I think that’s one, like Seichi said, the thing that brings us together, our stories and how we’re able to let it all out to be heard. I think that for me, is essential and one of the ways that <em>Sparks Camp</em> addresses these things.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Seichi highlighted the importance of portraying queer people beyond stereotypes. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>“Even though we’re culturally visible in terms of media, I feel like queer stories have either been played up for comedic effect or drama where a queer person is going through trauma,” Seichi said. “We are more than just what happened to us. We aim to show the experiences of every queer people [are] as colorful as everyone else’s.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Reflecting on their time at <em>Sparks Camp</em>, both Paco and Seichi shared valuable insights gained from the experience.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Seichi described it as a transformative process, saying, “After the experience, I think a lot of things changed. It was kind of like a big mirror to myself na parang ‘Oh, this is what you are as a person,’ and I think there are ways that you can handle your emotions. If you’re able to accept parts of who you are and you’ll have the chance to find someone who likes you for who you are.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Paco echoed similar sentiments, noting, “There are a lot of things that the camp made me realize about myself mostly, and these things definitely changed me, you know as a person, for the better. There are things before the camp that I wasn’t aware of, and the camp made me realize the ways that I could foster and love someone better. As well as be more patient and understanding.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Paco’s participation in the show also marked a significant personal milestone. He used the opportunity to come out to his family, who responded with overwhelming support. “When I finally told them, my dad said, ‘I don’t care about who you see in your life, as long as you’re a good person.’ It was important for me to give them this confirmation because they’ve been patient with me all my life.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Ultimately, both Paco and Seichi hope the show will entertain and inspire.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Seichi summed it up: “We have someone to root for, someone to hate, someone to feel pity for. This season pushes the other campers into fighting for what they really want.” </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span><em>Sparks Camp</em></span><span> continues to be a vital platform for visibility and representation, proving that queer stories are diverse, complex, and deserving of the spotlight.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>— By Samantha Prats</span></div>

<p>In an exclusive interview with PUSH, Paco and Seichi share their experiences and hopes for increasing LGBTQIA+ visibility.</p>

In an exclusive interview with PUSH, Paco and Seichi share their experiences and hopes for increasing LGBTQIA+ visibility.