Around 1880, he bought a small steamship named La Mosca, which he put on the interisland shipping lane carrying both passengers and freight.
[1][2] For his exceptional ability and rapid success, Yangco was referred to as the “King of Manila Bay and Pasig River” among the shipping businessmen.
[1][2] Before the Philippine Revolution, Yangco along with other prominent Filipino-Chinese businessmen like Telesforo Chiudian, Mariano Limjap, and Doroteo Ongjunco, were known to have financed the La Liga Filipina, a fraternal society established by reformist Dr. Jose Rizal with the aim of promoting political and economic reforms in the country.
Some members of the La Liga Filipina like Andres Bonifacio and Deodato Arellano established the secret society called Katipunan, which advocated for armed revolution against Spain.
[1][2][3] With the discovery of the Katipunan outbreak of the Philippine Revolution on August 23, 1896, Spanish authorities arrested Yangco and his son Teodoro on September 16, 1896.
His first wife, Ramona Arguelles de Corpus, was from San Antonio, Zambales whom he met during his business trips in the province to transport textiles.
Their son, Teodoro, who inherited his father's business acumen and shipping empire, later became a Resident Commissioner of the Philippines to the United States.