Media personality and “Mother Sparker” Mela Habijan is looking forward to a more daring and diverse group of campers in the fourth season of ABS-CBN’s queer dating reality series Sparks Camp.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, Mela teased what viewers can expect from the newest batch of campers as they navigate stories of love, relationships, and self-discovery inside the camp.
“Ang mga campers natin this season are all out. They are very daring. Binigay nila ang lahat - puso, kaluluwa. Lahat makikita ninyo or almost all. They are very present. Tuwing challenges, makikita niyo na akala mo one million yung prizes namin,” Mela laughingly shared.
She noted that the new campers were not afraid to show both their good and bad sides, making the upcoming season extra sweet and spicy.
“They weren’t afraid to show themselves. Lagi ko nire-remind sa kanila na, flaws and all, don’t mind us because Sparks Camp is a place na everyone is safe. There’s no judgment in the camp. It’s okay to be you. It’s okay to show your vulnerabilities. It’s okay to show that they are red flags sa inyo kasi wala namang perfect and lahat tayo ay may red flags and green flags at pinagsama iyon sa pagkatao natin,” she said. “I think that’s what makes Season 4 exciting and special,” she stated.
While the official cast has yet to be revealed, Mela shared that the campers come from different backgrounds that viewers can relate to.
“We have campers who are coming from the US and Japan. They are people coming from different parts of the Philippines - mayroong estudyante, mayroong mga nagtatrabaho na, mayroong in their early 30s and 20s, mayroong femme expressing non-binary person, mayroong proud to be masculine and feminine at the same time, mayroong super quiet and super daldal. Mayroon ding nakaupo lang pero gandang-ganda sa kaniya ang lahat and mayroong nageffort para lang mapansin ng mga taong gusto niya,” she enumerated.
“Nandoon yung right ingredients in interactions because they are people coming from different backgrounds.”
For Mela, however, diversity in Sparks Camp goes beyond appearances: “Sa usapin kasi ng diversity, kapag pinaguusapan yung diversity ng Sparks Camp, I feel sad that it was limited sa physical aspects. I remind everyone that diversity is contextual. It goes beyond the physical.”
Mela also clarified that she is not involved in casting the campers, but continues to remind the team of the show's advocacy of giving queer people a space to tell their stories.
“Contrary to what people know, I am not part of the casting team. Hindi ako part ng process but I will forever remind the team about the advocacy that we are trying to put into na we want the stories to be told, to be heard and to shine because the stories allowed us to see our similarities as queer people with cis gender heterosexual people, and doon natin napapatunayan na even if we are different, our shared experiences will actually allow us to have shared values for humanity,” she expressed.
Meanwhile, Sparks Camp is returning to its beach setting for its fourth season: “Babalik tayo sa dagat this season. Makikita natin muli ang alon, ang bangka, ang buhangin but at the same time makikita ninyo kung paano namin na-survive ang pagshoo-shoot in the middle of the rainy days.”
Sparks Camp Season 4 will premiere this September exclusively on iWant.
While Mela prepares to welcome another batch of campers, she continues to maintain relationships with those from the show's previous three seasons.
“One promise that I made with the campers is I will be their ‘mother’ through and through and now I have 40 kids,” she proudly said.
For Mela, being the “Mother Sparker” has given her an unexpected opportunity to experience motherhood in her own way.
“It’s something that I'm truly grateful for. Sabi ko nga sa iba na I can never give birth to a child but what Sparks Camp gave me is the opportunity to nurture and that’s for me is motherhood itself because I was also raised by a nurturing mother who allowed me to navigate through life, the challenges of living, by just simply holding my hand and reminding me that I’m good and I will be okay. That’s what I tried to say with the campers,” she said.
She shared that many of the former campers still reach out to her, with some attending their reunion and keeping in touch as they pursue their careers and relationships.
“I'm really grateful that I can still hug them and catch up with them and see how they are growing in their respective careers and also at the same time, marami sa kanila ang in love na ngayon and it is something I'm happy with: to be able to see their journey after the camp,” she expressed.