He has been distinguished with an honorary award from the Society of General Medicine for his work in primary healthcare in rural communities.

Quintana rose to national prominence in 1989, when he was appointed as Mayor of Allariz, and remained so until 2000, winning local elections with a clear overall majority.

During his terms, the small municipality of Allariz was awarded the European Prize of Urbanism and it was chosen by the United Nations as one of the leading communities on sustainable development.

This criticism and claims for "transparency and internal democracy" resulted in the formation of two parallel organizations within the party: the Encontro Irmandinho [2] (led by former BNG president Xosé Manuel Beiras), and the Movemento Pola Base [3].

At present Quintana has withdrawn from the political front line although remains a member of the party and occasionally features in the daily press.