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That was the most frightening time of his life. Back in 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five meters away from a detonation at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The IS attack claimed 15 lives, among them his wife's brother. A five-month siege between the military and the militant group in the city of Marawi followed.

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

Nearly a decade later, the threat of IS again looms over one of the nation's largest 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 masseur at the night market, heard about Bondi on the media, but like other residents interviewed, felt mostly detached.

The 2016 bombing is a traumatic event he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 fatalities is placed in a part of the night market, seeming mismatched amidst the celebratory mood as hundreds gathered there for meals, massages and goods.

Active Inquiries Amid Holiday Celebrations

Investigations into the visit to the country of the duo coincides with the overwhelmingly Catholic nation is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been adorned with a large Christmas tree, shopping centers are crowded, and children knock on doors to sing carols.

“I was taken aback to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for tourism, not terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. Officials have made clear the inquiry into their whereabouts is active and the true reason for their stay is as yet unclear.

“It is simply regrettable that real concerns are exploited by radicalism. Unfortunately, the story of savage attacks was incorrectly tied to the region's character,” noted Karlos Manlupig, head of non-governmental organization Balay Mindanao.

Confidence in Policing Record

Lorenzo is additionally assured that no one could execute another terror attack in the city historically governed by the clan of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both notable and infamous – was built on heavily policing Davao through hardline law and order and drug war campaigns. At an entrance of the night market, at minimum four personnel stand checking bags.

The Philippine government has pushed back against claims that it was a terrorist training ground for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of conflict and marginalisation that has seen some Islamic independence movements forge ties with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups remain present, experts say they are small and diminished.

Investigators Reconstruct Activities

What is certain, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, is the two did not leave the city nor underwent military-style training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

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

Investigators say there are many places the two could have frequented or connected with associates in the area. Dozens of businesses sit between the hotel where they stayed and a local restaurant, where they were reported to buy their food.

Detectives are examining CCTV footage and tracking transport records to piece together their whereabouts, and that all possibilities are being entertained.

Worries in Marawi Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with IS-linked militants in 2017, locals are anxious that new accusations of extremism could lead to increased security measures and deepen prejudice against Muslims.

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

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

Manlupig commended civic actions 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 address economic and social issues and political factors that motivate the motivations behind the violence while “persist in promoting understanding and prevent prejudice and sectarianism”.