AN ALUMNUS of the University of the East Caloocan won the coveted first prize in the Maikling Kwentong Pambata category of the 2022 Don Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature.

Mark Norman Boquiren, who is also the Director of the UE Drama Company, was recognized for his story titled “Si VeRaptor1 Laban kay Trolakuz.”

According to UE, Boquiren’s children’s story talked about a video/mobile game addict named Vera who, because of her reckless use of the Internet, receives information that is incorrect or erratic.

Boquiren’s story attempts to show Filipino youth the dangers of careless Internet use and how to avoid it or avoid creating monsters out of it.

The UE alumnus has published 10 children’s books prior to ‘Trolakuz,’ including ‘Palaruang Bahaghari’ and ‘Supremo Kiddo,’ both of which won the Kids’ Choice Awards at the 7th National Children’s Book Awards in July this year.

At the Manila International Book Fair last September, Boquiren officially launched his latest children’s book, ‘Si Kier at ang Kaniyang Madyik Istiker,’ published by Brille Petit Books of Brilliant Creations Publishing, Inc.

Boquiren had long been a creative and artistic spirit even as a UE CAS Caloocan student. He produced and acted in several staged productions, including the Caloocan Campus’s annual ‘O ’Di Ba?’ variety show.

He also became the student president of the UEDC and earned his BA major in Communication Arts in 2011.

Moreover, he received an Outstanding Alumnus Award from the UE Caloocan Alumni Association, Inc. in 2019, and a Distinguished Achiever Award in 2021 from the UE Alumni Association Inc.