LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines – The country’s military chief said yesterday it is his dream to achieve peace in Quezon and that realizing it may be nearer through the efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

General Eduardo Oban, AFP Chief of Staff, said he is certain that peace in Quezon will be obtained in due time as he commended the Army’s 201st Infantry Brigade (201IB) for capturing a ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Tagalog.

Oban met with Colonel Eduardo Año, 201IB commander during his visit in Camp Nakar, here, and lauded the colonel’s command for arresting recently Tirso Alcantara, alias “Ka Bart,” who is the commander of the NPA’s Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC).

The military operation that led to the capture of Alcantara in Lucena City was preceded by a well-planned military offensive in Mauban, Quezon that killed Rosemarie Dominais, alias “Ka Insa,” secretary general of NPA-Laguna Provincial Committee.

Oban lauded Año for the success of the combat operations, describing them as “a major setback to the underground movement.”

These accomplishments by the 201IB have significantly weakened the communist rebel movement in Southern Tagalog, particularly in Quezon, as evidenced by the recent surrender of 14 NPA rebels.