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This was the most frightening experience of his existence. During 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five meters away from a bomb explosion at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The ISIS strike killed 15, among them his wife's brother. A prolonged siege between the military and the jihadist group in Marawi came after.

“It cannot occur again in Davao,” Pendon states.

Nearly a decade later, the threat of IS reappears over one of the country's key cities, amidst international scrutiny over the 28-day stay in the city of the alleged Bondi attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed.

Pendon, who is a a massage technician at the night market, learned of the attack on the news, but similar to other residents surveyed, felt predominantly disconnected.

The 2016 blast is a bad memory he is working to forget. A remembrance marker for the 2016 deaths stands in a corner of the night market, looking incongruous amid the joyful environment as hundreds gathered there for meals, massages and trinkets.

Current Probes Amid Holiday Celebrations

Investigations into the time in the Philippines of the duo comes as the predominantly Catholic country is gearing up for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been adorned with a towering Christmas tree, shopping centers are packed, and children go door-to-door to sing carols.

“I was surprised to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for tourism, not violence,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. The government have stated the probe into their activities is ongoing and the true reason for their stay is remains uncertain.

“It is unfortunate that real concerns are co-opted by terrorism. Unfortunately, the story of savage attacks was incorrectly tied to Mindanao’s character,” noted Karlos Manlupig, head of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Security Legacy

Lorenzo is also assured that nobody could perpetrate another act of terror in the city long administered by the political machine of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both famous and controversial – was forged through tightly securing Davao through hardline anti-crime and anti-drug campaigns. At an entrance of the night market, at minimum four officers stand searching bags.

The Philippine government has rejected allegations that it was a hub for extremists for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of instability and disenfranchisement that has seen some Muslim separatist groups establish links with overseas extremist organizations. But while IS-linked groups still exist, experts say they are limited in size and degraded.

Investigators Trace Activities

What is evident, stated Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, is the two did not leave the city nor obtained combat training in the country, as was previously alleged.

Investigators have said they are “not taking lightly” the father and son's stay in the country as they reconstruct the movements of the father and son during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Investigators say there are several places the two could have gone to or had meetings in the neighborhood. Scores of businesses sit between the GV Hotel and a close by popular fast food chain, where they were understood to buy their food.

Detectives are analyzing surveillance tapes and tracing cab rides to establish their movements, and that all possibilities are being explored.

Fears in the Region Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with IS-linked militants in 2017, locals are concerned that fresh associations with terrorism could lead to tighter restrictions and deepen discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a professor at the university in Marawi City, said the Philippine security agencies must determine what took place.

“[The Akrams’] visit should be thoroughly examined and the intel should provide transparent and factual answers without turning uncertainty into blame against Mindanao or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig praised civic actions in enhancing the security situation in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that terrorism simply disappeared”. He said the country must confront economic and social issues and political factors that fuel the reasons behind the violence while “keep advocating for tolerance and prevent prejudice and division”.