During the Thousand Days' War, he was part of the liberal faction and served as Civil and Military Chief of the Chiriquí Province.

[2] After the separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903, he held various public positions in liberal governments including the Secretary of Development.

With the outbreak of the Coto War, President Belisario Porras Barahona appointed him head of the army which was made up of police officers and volunteers.

[2] During the war however, he was involved in an incident where one of the men he conscripted known as Segundo Gonzales had stabbed James Denham, killing him in the process and Quintero Villarreal discussed with the Surveyor of Panama, Francisco Moreira.

[3] Quintero Villarreal then ran as the presidential candidate of the Porrista Liberal Party during the 1924 Panamanian general election, against Rodolfo Chiari but only gained 14 percent of the vote.