The authenticity of these stories, however, is questionable since there has never been a single piece of evidence or record that Dumi and Ingag had ever actually existed.

According to more convincing sources, the earliest settlers arrived in Dumingag with renewed optimism after World War II and, starting their lives anew, they hailed the place as "Little Dumangas".

Real, Sr. is widely considered to be the municipality's father and builder, him being the first mayor and the one who has served the longest.

The 1970s brought a period of numerous concurrent conflicts on the island of Mindanao, including Dumingag and Zamboanga del Sur.

[6][7][8][9] This included land dispute conflicts arising from the influx of settlers from Luzon and Visayas,[10][11] and from the Marcos administration’s encouragement of militia groups such as the Ilaga.

[7][8] News of the 1968 Jabidah massacre ignited a furor in the Moro community, and ethnic tensions encouraged with the formation of secessionist movements.

[9] Many of them left schools in Manila and joined New People's Army units in their home provinces, bringing a Communist rebellion in the Philippines to Mindanao for the first time.