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It was the most frightening time of his existence. During 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five meters away from a detonation at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The Islamic State attack left 15 dead, among them his wife's brother. A five-month siege between the military and the militant group in Marawi ensued.

“It cannot take place again in Davao,” Pendon asserts.

Years later, the shadow of IS again looms over one of the country's key cities, amid global attention over the four-week stay in the city of the accused Bondi beach shooters, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who makes a living as a massage technician at the night market, saw news of Bondi on the television, but like other locals spoken to, felt mostly removed.

Even the 2016 bombing is a bad memory he is trying to move on from. A monument for the 2016 deaths stands in a part of the night market, seeming incongruous against the joyful mood as many people gathered there for meals, massages and trinkets.

Ongoing Investigations Amid Festive Celebrations

Probes regarding the Philippines activities of the pair comes as the overwhelmingly Catholic country is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been adorned with a large Christmas tree, malls are crowded, and children go door-to-door to perform Christmas songs.

“I was surprised to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for sightseeing, not violence,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. The government have made clear the investigation into their whereabouts is active and the exact reason for their visit is still unknown.

“It is unfortunate that valid issues are exploited by terrorism. Regrettably, the narrative of brutal violence was wrongly attached to Mindanao’s image,” stated Karlos Manlupig, executive director of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Policing History

Lorenzo is also confident that no one could execute another terror attack in the city for a long time ruled by the political machine of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both famous and notorious – was built on tightly securing Davao through strict anti-crime and drug war initiatives. At an entrance of the night market, at least four officers stand checking bags.

The Philippine government has rejected claims that it was a terrorist training ground for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of instability and disenfranchisement that has seen some Muslim separatist groups forge ties with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups persist, authorities say they are limited in size and degraded.

Authorities Reconstruct Activities

What is evident, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, is the two stayed within the city nor obtained military-style training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Investigators have said they are “treating with gravity” the pair’s presence in the country as they reconstruct the movements of the pair during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Investigators say there are numerous places the two could have visited or met contacts in the vicinity. Scores of outlets sit between the hotel where they stayed and a local restaurant, where they were reported to buy their food.

Detectives are examining security camera video and tracing transport records to reconstruct their movements, and that all possibilities are being considered.

Worries in Marawi Over Labels

In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with extremist groups in 2017, residents are worried that renewed associations with terrorism could lead to tighter restrictions and deepen discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a academic at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine security agencies must establish what transpired.

“[The Akrams’] stay should be carefully probed and the intelligence should provide transparent and factual answers without turning uncertainty into finger-pointing against the region or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig lauded civic actions in enhancing the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “that does not imply that radicalism was eradicated”. He said the country must address socioeconomic factors and political factors that drive the reasons behind the violence while “keep advocating for tolerance and avoid bias and polarization”.