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That was the most frightening moment of his existence. Back in September 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five metres away from a detonation at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The ISIS attack claimed 15 lives, among them his brother-in-law. A lengthy siege between the military and the jihadist group in Marawi City followed.

“It cannot happen again in Davao,” Pendon asserts.

Nine years later, the threat of IS once more hangs over one of the Philippines’ major cities, during global attention over the four-week stay in the city of the alleged Bondi beach shooters, the Akrams, father and son.

Pendon, who is a a massage therapist at the night market, learned of Bondi on the media, but like other residents spoken to, felt largely detached.

Even the 2016 attack is a traumatic event he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 fatalities stands in a section of the night market, appearing mismatched against the joyful atmosphere as hundreds flocked there for food, massages and goods.

Current Inquiries Amid Festive Cheer

Examinations of the Philippines activities of the duo coincides with the mostly Catholic country is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s government center has been lit up by a tall Christmas tree, malls are crowded, 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, also a massage therapist at the market. Officials have emphasized the investigation into their actions is continuing and the true reason for their visit is remains unknown.

“It is just a shame that valid issues are hijacked by radicalism. Regrettably, the narrative of savage attacks was unfairly glued to Mindanao’s image,” noted Karlos Manlupig, executive director of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Trust in Security Record

Lorenzo is furthermore confident that nobody could execute another act of terror in the city for a long time administered by the clan of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both notable and notorious – was established by aggressively securitising Davao through strict anti-crime and anti-drug campaigns. At an entrance of the night market, at least four guards stand inspecting bags.

The authorities has pushed back against suggestions that it was a base for militant training for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of instability and marginalization that has seen some local militant factions form alliances with overseas extremist organizations. But while IS-linked groups persist, experts say they are limited in size and diminished.

Police Reconstruct Activities

What is clear, said Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two never left the city nor received combat training in the country, as was previously alleged.

Investigators have said they are “not taking lightly” the pair’s visit in the country as they map out the activities of the father and son during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Police say there are several establishments the two could have gone to or connected with associates in the neighborhood. Scores of outlets sit between the GV Hotel and a close by popular fast food chain, where they were reported to buy their meals.

Detectives are reviewing security camera video and tracing taxi trips to reconstruct their movements, and that all possibilities are being explored.

Worries in Marawi City Over Labels

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with extremist groups in 2017, inhabitants are anxious that new accusations of extremism could lead to increased security measures and increase bias against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must find out what transpired.

“[The Akrams’] visit should be properly investigated and the intelligence should provide transparent and factual answers without turning uncertainty into blame against the region or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig commended civic actions in improving the security situation in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that extremism was eradicated”. He said the country must confront economic and social issues and political factors that fuel the reasons behind the unrest while “persist in promoting tolerance and avoid discrimination and sectarianism”.