Jesús Cacho

Jesús Cacho y Soriano (7 November 1894 – 5 May 1967) was a Filipino international football player who played for Bohemian SC and represented the Philippine Islands football team in the Far Eastern Championship Games. Besides his football career, he was a successful businessman and philatelist.

Early life and education Jesús Cacho was born in Iloilo on 7 November 1894 to Francisco Tejedor Cacho, a pharmacist from Tiedra, Spain, and Candelaria Ditching Soriano, owner of the Panay Electric Company from 1927. Cacho later moved to Manila, where he studied at the Ateneo de Manila and San Juan de Letran College before transferring to the University of Santo Tomas, where he obtained his B.S.C. and LL.B. degrees.

Club career Bohemian Sporting Club

Jesús Cacho was one of the early players of Bohemian Sporting Club. He joined shortly after the club was founded and at the beginning of the first National Football Championship in 1911. He achieved recognition as a Philippine champion in 1912 and earned a call-up to participate in the Far Eastern Games, held in Manila the following year. After winning the tournament, he, alongside his Bohemian teammates, faced South China AA for the "Campeonato del Carnaval" and added another continental success to their tally. Cacho also won his second National Title that year, winning a total of three trophies. In 1914, the team was unable to achieve another gold, with the Manila Nomads stripping Bohemian of their title. In the following years, he contributed to the Bohemian team's run of four consecutive Philippine Championships from 1915 to 1918.

Cacho made his final appearances for the national team in three tough matches against China, again held in Manila. The first game saw the Filipinos dominate the first half but in the second the game took another turn. China scored two goals to win the game, capitalizing on a mistake by Cacho, who missed the ball while attempting a clearance, and a subsequent error by his Bohemian teammate, goalkeeper German Montserrat. The Filipinos won the second game 2–1, forcing a third match to decide the gold medal. Despite a bright start by Cacho and his teammates, who led at half-time, the Chinese turned the score around, leaving the Philippines with a silver medal.

Post-football career After his football career, Cacho became a businessman. In addition to co-owning the Panay Electric Company (PECO), he took over the family printing firm, Cacho Hermanos Inc., and held stakes in other organizations. He became the executive manager of Imprenta "Germania" and a director of the Santa Ana Race Club and the Club Filipino.

His collection included many rare Philippine stamps, including the First Flights of the Country with the Extreme Orient as his sideline. Philately was his main passion, but he was still an athlete inside and throughout his life as he took part at the sporting activities of the Casino Español de Manila in the meantime.

Honors Bohemian S.C. United States Philippines Championship (6): 1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 Campeonato del Carnaval: 1913

Philippine national football team Far Eastern Championship Games: (Gold medal) 1913 (Silver medal) 1915, 1919