Manuel Martínez Nieto Sr. (born Manuel Nieto y Martínez; June 13, 1892 – September 15, 1980), also referred to as Manolo Nieto, was a Filipino footballer, businessman, Army of the Philippines officer, politician and diplomat.
An academic and cultured man, his father was owner of the tobacco estate businesses and controller of the monopoly around Northern Luzon, especially in Isabela which Nieto inherited. During his younger days he was a refined athlete as well who competed in track and field but was best known for his football talent. As a football player of the 1910s and 1920s he spent his years at Bohemian SC as a Defender and was widely regarded as the best Filipino full-back of all time in the eyes of the sports journalists, watchers and athletes of that period. He participated also at the two most remembered Far Eastern Championship Games in 1913 and 1917, football-wise, all while he continued his studies and from time to time having to take brakes from the sport. In that stretch of years, in 1916, he met Manuel L. Quezon at the time elected as Resident Commissioner to the United States and, right after his graduation from the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, he offered his services to him. The two became close friends and formed a strong bond between them. So Manolo, as how he was called by his close acquaintances, began his life as a public servant when he was first appointed by Quezon as a secretary of the Senate while also continuing his father business and studies. From there he became member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines and when Quezon became President of the Philippines, Nieto started the Officer's Training Camp in Baguio, where he graduated and was commissioned as the Captain of the Philippine Army in the Reserve Corps. Right after, he was named his aide-de-camp and then his Cabinet Secretariat, roles that he served until President Quezon's death. He continued afterwards to serve the country becoming an ambassador to Spain, a duty he covered two times and the last until he died.
Early life and education
Nieto was born in Ilagan, in the province of Isabela, the year of 1892. The son of Spaniard Manuel Nieto y Noriega from Cantabria, Spain and Victoria Cabal Martinez from Isabela. He first took his education at his parental home and then graduated at the Escuela Catolica in Ilagan. When he grew up enough, to enter college, he was sent by his parents to the capital city in Manila to continue his studies and attended the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He was a very applied and laborious student and his teachers, as well as his schoolmates, were very proud of him. After reaching his final year he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree and decided to embark on a trip to Spain where he studied at the Escuela Superior de Comercio de Barcelona. Some years later, after receiving his degree in commerce, he returned to the Philippines, this time, at the University of Santo Tomas where he got his Bachelor of Laws. Besides being a knowledgeable individual he had a lot of qualities and a strong personality that helped him throughout his life and be successful in the multiple fields he part-taken while carrying a leading role.
Football career Bohemian Sporting Club
Manolo played for the historical side of Bohemian Sporting Club and was one of the leaders of the team as well as one of its captains. He was also one of the first players to join the red sashed club and one of the first who lifted the club's first National Championship in 1912. Thanks to his performances he was called up from the Philippine Islands football team and represented them in the first Far Eastern Championship Games in Manila. After coming off of a victory and a gold medal, his club Bohemian, contended for another continental competition, the "Campeonato del Carnaval" and triumphed over South China AA with a 3 to 1 victory. The same year he successfully defended his title and came off as well with a back to back win of the Philippine crown. After a brief loss of the crown due to the victory in the championship by Nomad SC, in 1914, Nieto led the red sashed players from the defense, accompanied by one of the best side assembled, to a historical four-peat run, regaining and winning the Philippine Championship in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918. From that another three-peat from his Bohemian team followed in 1920, 1921 and 1922. Nieto established a reputation as one of the most accomplished sportsmen in the Philippines. Nieto also had a "nemesis" in Solano, who played as forward for Aurora Athletic Club and Espartaco. Prior and during start of the decade and on, however, Nieto's presence on the field was characterized by absences due to his studies and then for his work as a politician. He continued to play occasionally, including in a game against rival Aurora in the spring of 1931 that ended in a 1–1 draw.
International career Nieto was one of the captains and leaders of Bohemian and was one as well for the Philippine Islands Football Team. His international career was discontinued as a results of his studies, work and later for his life as a secretary of the senate. Regardless of that he was a participant and a member of the National team at the Far Eastern Championship Games in 1913 and 1917. In 1913 in Manila, he was in the line up that faced China and triumphed over them with a 2 to 1 victory and won Philippine's only football gold medal of the tournament. That game was the start of the fierce rivalry between the two sides when the Chinese accused the Filipinos of not being native of their country. After missing out on the 1915 edition he took part at the 1917 Far East Games in Tokyo where he was included in the Filipino team that won its biggest ever win by margin to this day, defeating Japan by 15 goals to 2. The tournament, despite such performance, ended in a silver medal for Nieto and his team. That was his last appearance for the National team and did not take part in the later Far East Games even when they were held in the Philippines. His academic works and later jobs kept him away from international football like in the 1919 edition, won by China, which saw competitive games between the P. I. and China that shared a victory a piece to take it to a third match and Nieto's absence, as he was possibly in Barcelona for studies, was one of the factors that stopped the Philippines getting its second football gold medal.
Business career
His father, Cantabrian, owned tobacco plantations and estates around the provinces of Northern Luzon and Nieto inherited the plantation lands in Isabela. His knowledge in marketing after his studies came to be beneficial as he was able to put it in practice by turning his estates a way of making lucrative profits. He continued to be involved in the tobacco trading and merchandising businesses while countinuig his assignments as Quezon's aide de camp and when in 1940 the National Tobacco Corporation was organized, Nieto became its manager. Before he inaugurated the opening of the company he took an oath of office, the previous day, in the business studio of Benito Razón, manager of the National Trading Corporation.
Political career His first encounter with Manuel L. Quezon took place in 1916 during Nieto's graduation at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, also the alma mater of Quezon's, who was present that day after his election as Resident commissioner to the US and after the passage of the Jones Act. It happened in a celebration organized by the Dominican friars and the whole student body, among them also Nieto, while forming a guard of honor in front of the college building. From that moment, Nieto offered his services to Quezon who when he became president of the Senate appointed him as its secretary.
He accompanied him everywhere in his travels, weather it was in the country or outside and was by his side eventually to protect him. In the summer of 1925 he was elected, with 2303 votes, the representative for the lone district from Isabela over nacionalista Pascual Paguirigan with 2055 votes, Cesar A. Flormata, independent with 1538 votes, Rufo Ramos, independent, with 1457 votes, Tomas Gollayam with 1052 votes; Claro Masigan, democrat, with 707 votes, Tolentino Verzosa, of his same political affiliation, with 375 votes and Isidro Guzman nacionalista-consolidado with 57 votes. He was member of the Committees of Agriculture, Navigation, Public works and Safety of the 7th Philippine Legislature. From 1928 to 1931, right after his services, he was appointed representative for the lone district, this time, from Nueva Vizcaya. A few years forward Nieto, then President Quezon's aide de camp and Philippine Army's colonel, was appointed as his Cabinet Secretariat of the Philippines in 1944. Following Quezon's death, Sergio Osmeña, who became president, revamped the Philippine Commonwealth War Cabinet and named Nieto as the secretary of agriculture and Commerce. The 19th day of August 1946 which celebrated the first year of the Philippines' independence was also the day he was selected by President Manuel Roxas in a new ordinance. He was designated in a committee where he and the other officials and notable people were tasked in raising the necessary funds for the erection of a national monument in honor of the late president Manuel L. Quezon.
Military career
Nieto, Quezon's personal assistant and secretary at the Senate, acted more as a bodyguard towards him and was always by his side whenever he thought he was in danger. He accompanied him everywhere in his travels around the Philippines and outside the country as well. When Quezon became President of the Philippines, he still wanted him around, so Nieto began his military training at the Officer's Training Camp in Baguio, where he graduated with distinction and was commissioned as Captain of the Philippine Army in the Reserve-Infantry. Following his promotion to the rank of colonel he was appointed as Quezon's aide de camp and assisted the President, whose health condition worsened day by day, his family and his War Cabinet when the Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941. Colonel Nieto, who accompanied the President and his party to Corregidor, was responsible on going back to Manila, declared that moment an Open city, to take his prescribed medicine and report to Secretary Vargas to send President Quezon as much paper currency as possible. He had to return to the capital again, this time, accompanied by the chief of staff of the Philippine Army and acting secretary of National Defense, General Valdes to visit the Filipino forces in Bataan and report to the President the situation.