Luis Yangco
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Luis Rafael Yangco y Ronquillo (August 19, 1841- October 16, 1907) was a Filipino-Chinese businessman and philanthropist who is popularly known during the Spanish colonial era as the "King of
Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...
and
Pasig River The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its ...
" for his vast shipping empire and extensive commercial shipping activities. He is also one of the Filipino-Chinese businessmen suspected of providing logistical and financial aid to the
Katipunan The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; en, Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation ...
during the Philippine Revolution.


Early years

Yangco was born in Bacoor,
Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...
on August 19, 1841, the son of Regimio Yangco, a mestizo sangley, and Agatona Ronquillo, a Spanish-Filipino mestiza, Yangco was orphaned at the age of 12, and thereafter he began working for a living under the care of a kind hearted aunt who gave him a little education. At the
Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...
waterfront, he did odd jobs as errand-boy for sailors and ''cargador'' of passengers’ luggage. It was his exposure to life at the waterfront that set Yangco to dream of some day owning “many ships like those in the bay.”


Shipping business

Through hard work and thrift as a ''cargador'', Yangco was able to save enough money to buy a banca, which he used for transporting drinking water, ferrying people across the bay. When the Carriedo waterworks began supplying water to Manila residents, the business of transporting drinking water across the bay dwindled. He shifted to transporting ''zacate'' (horse fodder), timber and other goods for residents along the Pasig River. In due time he was able to purchase a sailboat for inter-island trading. This became the nucleus of a fleet of 28 steamships, in addition to the other lucrative businesses he engaged in. Yangco also opened a modest store on Jaboneros Street in Manila and later became the sole agent of the Ayala distillery in the area. He also ventured into the lucrative rice and fuel trade, and a storage business at La Murallon Street. A just and generous businessman, he practiced the “fixed price” policy in his stores and profit sharing with his employees. By 1870, his name became known in the business community of Binondo. His rise to success seemed unstoppable. He built several barges and engaged in the loading and unloading of merchandise for coast-wise and ocean-going ships. Around 1880, he bought a small steamship named ''La Mosca'', which he put on the interisland shipping lane carrying both passengers and freight. His shipping business extended to Zambales in the north of Manila, the Laguna de Bay in east of Manila, and the coastal towns of Cavite, Batangas and Mindoro to as far south as Palawan. For his exceptional ability and rapid success, Yangco was referred to as the “King of Manila Bay and Pasig River” among the shipping businessmen.


Political career

Yangco's influence was extended to politics and public service. He became the capitan municipal of Binondo in 1893, and was later, appointed councilman of the Ayuntamiento de Manila. Being a respected businessman, his expertise was demanded by the business community as member of the permanent committees on public works, markets and slaughterhouses, police lighting, and designated inspector of the Divisoria market.


Philippine Revolution

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 La Liga Filipina () was a secret organization. It was founded by José Rizal in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco at Ilaya Street, Tondo, Manila on July 3, 1892. The organization derived from La Solidaridad and the Propaganda movement. The purpose ...
, a fraternal society established by reformist
Dr. Jose Rizal Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...
with the aim of promoting political and economic reforms in the country. This ended when Rizal was exiled to
Dapitan Dapitan, officially the City of Dapitan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dapitan; Subanon: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dapitan/Bagbenwa Dapitan cbk, Ciudad de Dapitan''), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. According to ...
, Zamboanga on July 6, 1892. Some members of the La Liga Filipina like
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and
Deodato Arellano Deodato Arellano y de la Cruz (July 26, 1844 – October 7, 1899) was a Filipino propagandist and the first president of the Katipunan, which was founded at his home in Azcarraga Street ( Claro M. Recto Avenue today), Manila. He was first to be ...
established the secret society called
Katipunan The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; en, Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation ...
, which advocated for armed revolution against Spain. 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. He was suspected of secretly supplying Filipino revolutionists with funds, foodstuffs, and other materials. After six months, he and his son were released from prison through a P10,000 bribe, and they promptly packed up their belongings and left for Spain. Yangco returned to the Philippines in 1898, after the outbreak of the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
. He later joined the revolutionary government, and later, the
Malolos Republic The Philippine Republic ( es, República Filipina), now officially known as the First Philippine Republic, also referred to by historians as the Malolos Republic, was established in Malolos, Bulacan during the Philippine Revolution against ...
established by Emilio Aguinaldo. He became part of his cabinet as director general of the treasury. He and
Pedro Paterno Pedro Alejandro Paterno y de Vera IgnacioGarcía Castellón, Manuel. (February 27, 1857 – April 26, 1911, 993 pages) was a Filipino politician infamous for being a turncoat. He was also a poet and a novelist. His intervention on behalf of th ...
also had plans to establish a central bank for the republic. Yangco later survived the Philippine–American War that followed after availing of the American offer of amnesty.


Personal life

Yangco became a widower twice, and remarried two times. 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 The resident commissioner of the Philippines () was a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives sent by the Philippines from 1907 until its internationally recognized independence in 1946. It was similar to current non-voti ...
to the United States. After the death of his first wife, he married Dominga Lam who later died. His third marriage to Victoria Obin bore two daughters and one son. Yangco died on October 16, 1907.


See also

* Román Ongpin * Mariano Limjap


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yangco, Luis 1841 births 1907 deaths 19th-century Filipino businesspeople Filipino philanthropists People from Bacoor People of the Philippine Revolution People of the Philippine–American War Filipino politicians of Chinese descent 19th-century philanthropists