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That was the most frightening experience of his existence. Back in 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five metres away from a bomb explosion at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The Islamic State strike left 15 dead, including his wife's brother. A lengthy battle between the armed forces and the militant group in the city of Marawi ensued.

“It will not happen again in Davao,” Pendon asserts.

Years later, the specter of IS reappears over one of the nation's major cities, amidst international scrutiny over the four-week stay in the city of the alleged Bondi attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed.

Pendon, who is a a massage therapist at the night market, saw news of the Bondi incident on the television, but as with other citizens surveyed, felt mostly detached.

The 2016 bombing is a bad memory he is attempting to put behind him. A remembrance marker for the 2016 deaths sits in a section of the night market, looking mismatched amidst the festive environment as hundreds came there for meals, massages and souvenirs.

Current Probes Amid Festive Celebrations

Probes regarding the time in the Philippines of the pair is happening while the predominantly Catholic country is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been decorated with a large Christmas tree, shopping centers are busy, and children knock on doors to perform Christmas songs.

“I was taken aback to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for travel, not terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Authorities have stated the inquiry into their whereabouts is continuing and the exact reason for their stay is remains unknown.

“It is simply a shame that real concerns are co-opted by radicalism. Regrettably, the narrative of savage attacks was wrongly attached to the island's identity,” noted Karlos Manlupig, executive director of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Security Legacy

Lorenzo is also confident that nobody could execute another terrorist strike in the city long administered by the political machine of past leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both renowned and notorious – was established by aggressively securitising Davao through hardline anti-crime and anti-drug initiatives. At one entrance of the night market, at least four officers stand inspecting bags.

The national government has pushed back against suggestions that it was a terrorist training ground for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of instability and disenfranchisement that has seen some local militant factions form alliances with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups remain present, authorities say they are small and degraded.

Police Trace Movements

What is evident, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two never left the city nor obtained weapons training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Law enforcement have said they are “taking seriously” the pair’s visit in the country as they piece together the actions of the father and son during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Investigators say there are several places the two could have frequented or had meetings in the neighborhood. Dozens of businesses sit between the hotel where they stayed and a nearby popular fast food chain, where they were understood to buy their food.

Officers are analyzing surveillance tapes and tracking taxi trips to establish their whereabouts, and that any potential lead are being entertained.

Fears in Marawi City Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with extremist groups in 2017, residents are concerned that new terrorist labels could lead to heightened securitisation and increase discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a academic at the university in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must determine what took place.

“[The Akrams’] time here should be thoroughly examined and the intel should provide clear and truthful answers without turning uncertainty into accusations against the region or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig commended local initiatives in improving the peace and order in Davao City but he said “that does not imply that extremism magically vanished”. He said the country must address economic and social issues and political factors that fuel the motivations behind the violence while “persist in promoting acceptance and prevent bias and sectarianism”.