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That was the most frightening moment of his existence. During September 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five metres away from a bomb explosion at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The ISIS attack left 15 dead, including his brother-in-law. A five-month conflict between the military and the extremist group in Marawi came after.

“It won’t take place again in Davao,” Pendon says.

Nearly a decade later, the threat of IS once more hangs over one of the Philippines’ key cities, amid global attention over the four-week stay in the city of the alleged Bondi attackers, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who is a a massage technician at the night market, learned of the attack on the television, but similar to other citizens surveyed, felt mostly detached.

Even the 2016 bombing is a painful recollection he is attempting to put behind him. A remembrance marker for the 2016 victims sits in a corner of the night market, appearing incongruous amidst the joyful atmosphere as many people came there for food, massages and souvenirs.

Current Inquiries Amid Christmas Preparations

Examinations of the time in the Philippines of the pair coincides with the predominantly Catholic nation is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been adorned with a towering Christmas tree, malls are crowded, and children knock on doors to perform Christmas songs.

“I was surprised to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for sightseeing, not terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Authorities have made clear the inquiry into their activities is continuing and the exact reason for their visit is as yet unknown.

“It is just a shame that legitimate grievances are exploited by extremism. Regrettably, the reputation of extreme conflict was unfairly glued to the island's image,” stated Karlos Manlupig, head of non-governmental organization Balay Mindanao.

Trust in Safety Record

Lorenzo is additionally assured that nobody could perpetrate another terrorist strike in the city long ruled by the political machine of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both famous and controversial – was forged through tightly securing Davao through hardline law and order and anti-drug initiatives. At one entrance of the night market, at minimum four personnel stand inspecting bags.

The Philippine government has rejected allegations that it was a base for militant training for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of instability and disenfranchisement that has seen some Muslim separatist groups forge ties with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups remain present, experts say they are limited in size and weakened.

Investigators Reconstruct Activities

What is clear, said Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, is the two did not leave the city nor underwent weapons training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Police have said they are “taking seriously” the pair’s presence in the country as they piece together the activities of the father and son during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Police say there are several places the two could have visited or met contacts in the neighborhood. Scores of outlets sit between the their accommodation and a local popular fast food chain, where they were known to buy their food.

Officers are analyzing CCTV footage and tracking taxi trips to establish their whereabouts, and that all possibilities are being entertained.

Worries in the Region Over Labels

In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, residents are anxious that renewed terrorist labels could lead to increased security measures and worsen prejudice against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must determine what took place.

“[The Akrams’] time here should be properly investigated and the intel should provide accurate and honest answers without transforming doubt into finger-pointing against the region or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig commended local initiatives in improving the peace and order in Davao City but he said “it is not true that radicalism was eradicated”. He said the country must confront socioeconomic factors and governance challenges that fuel the impulses behind the conflict while “keep advocating for acceptance and avoid prejudice and sectarianism”.