[3] Local stories written regarding the origin of the name of the town stated: "A Spaniards resting under two closely growing mango trees asked a native of the name of the place.

The old village of Dumangas started as a settlement of old Malays who made a clearing along the Talaguis River and established a community sometime in the 12th or 13th century.

According to Friar Gaspar de San Agustín, O.S.A., "...in the ancient times, there was a trading center and a court of the most illustrious nobility in the whole island."

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, sent various expeditions to look for food and to find another settlement other than Cebu to evade the attacks from the Portuguese explorers.

The royal treasurer to the Philippines Guido de Lavezaris writes (June 5, 1569) to King Philip II of Spain that the danger of Portuguese attack leads the Spaniards to remove their camp to Panay.

The governor general Miguel Lopez de Legazpi sent Mateo del Sanz who landed in Araut (now Dumangas) in June 1565 and “found many provisions and the inhabitants hospitable”.

With him was Fray Juan de Alva, an Augustinian friar ordered by his superiors to preach and to convert the people of Araut to Christianity.

Like other pre-Hispanic Filipinos, they worshipped environmental spirits, but Fray de Alva did not find much difficulty in converting the natives, to the new faith.

In 1605, thirty years after it was established as a town (founded in 1572) the Spanish clergy, who then ruled the community together with the cabeza de barangay, changed the name Araut to Dumangas.

Burned together with the edifices were offering (actually tributes of natives) from Cebu and other Visayan Island and 2,000 canvas of rice which was stored in the hours."

They easily subdued the civil guards in the town of Dumangas, Quintin Salas and his rayadillo army continued to liberated leaving only the capital – Iloilo City.

On December 24, 1898, the Spanish Colonial Government headed by Don Diego de los Rios surrendered Iloilo City to the revolutionaries.

Upon the surrender of the Spaniards a revolutionary government was established in the province and Don Simon Deocampo was appointed administrator of Dumangas.

On December 28, 1898, four days capitulation of the Spaniards to the rebel forces of Iloilo, the American troops under Gen. Marcus Miller arrived.

After realizing that he was left alone in the battlefield because his companion had already accepted the Benevolent Assimilation Policy of the Americans, he surrendered on October 4, 1901, earning the title as the "Bravest Ilonggo Revolutionary".

Since there was no fully constituted authority to administer the town, a committee was formed headed by Don Urbano Dolar, who simultaneously organized a police force to maintain peace and order.

After forty years of peace and freedom, the Filipinos and Dumangasanons in particular were again faced with another war – against the Japanese signaled by the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 8, 1941.

These evacuations changed the dismal barrio life at the bank of the Halauod River; where most of the evacuees from the town proper and Iloilo City were concentrated.

During the Japanese occupation, Macario Peralta Jr., freed most of Panay from Japanese imperialism, including Dumangas, thus other allied guerillas in other provinces from Romblon, Palawan, Marinduque and portions of Masbate and Mindoro, considered majority liberated Panay, the "Primus inter pares" in their alliance.

When Mayor Duremdes transferred to the provincial Capital, the administration of the town was taken over by Jesus Decolongon Jr. by the virtue of his victory in the 1969 election.

Congressman Monfort showed hid intense love for Dumangas through the unparalleled improvements he brought to the town which made life easier and comfortable.

Foremost is the consistent rally to address the five- old leadership focus namely: (1) Stability of peace and Order condition; (2) Improvement of the Delivery of the Basic Services Emphasizing on Health and Sanitation; (3) Economic Development Geared Towards Agricultural and Aquaculture Productivity; (4) Enhancement of Education Program; and (5) Protection and Preservation Ecology and Coastal Resources.

Agricultural development is enhanced by the rehabilitation of irrigation system, farm to market roads and technical support to farmers.

Mayor Distura with the help of Congressman Monfort, rehabilitated the town plaza making it a good place for recreation at day and a nice promenade at night.

Sulangan has its own mini version of the "tinagong dagat" where a spring can be found and Binaobao has the Matagsing and Lacaran has the Elehan Caves.

Dumangas continues to retain its provincial standing, but whose commitment to certain fundamental community values and innovation has produced many in the way of medicine, law, and education.

Roll-on Roll-Off (RORO) Vessels carrying passengers and cargoes plying Dumangas, Iloilo – Bacolod and vice versa are now operational.

The slaughterhouse is strategically located in Barangay Balabag, which is accessible to other poultry-and livestock-raising municipalities such as Barotac Nuevo, Zarraga, Pototan and New Lucena.

The role of the Municipal Ice Plant is to ensure that the slaughterhouse operation will provide quality meat to the customers.

Monfort North (Lublub), Calao, Sulangan and Pagdugue capacity were turn down due to el niño phenomenon.