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This was the most frightening moment of his existence. In 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five metres away from a blast at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The Islamic State strike left 15 dead, among them his wife's brother. A lengthy conflict between the armed forces and the jihadist group in the city of Marawi followed.

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

Nearly a decade later, the shadow of IS again looms over one of the nation's major cities, amid international scrutiny over the 28-day stay in the city of the suspected Bondi attackers, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who works as a massage therapist at the night market, saw news of the Bondi incident on the television, but like other locals surveyed, felt mostly removed.

The 2016 bombing is a bad memory he is working to forget. A monument for the 2016 deaths is placed in a section of the night market, looking incongruous amid the celebratory atmosphere as hundreds came there for food, massages and goods.

Active Investigations Amid Festive Cheer

Examinations of the visit to the country of the father and son coincides with the mostly Catholic country is gearing up for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been adorned with a towering Christmas tree, malls are busy, and children go door-to-door to perform Christmas songs.

“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 stated the investigation into their activities is active and the precise reason for their visit is still unclear.

“It is regrettable that legitimate grievances are hijacked by terrorism. Regrettably, the reputation of savage attacks was wrongly attached to the island's image,” noted Karlos Manlupig, leader of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Trust in Policing Record

Lorenzo is furthermore certain that nobody could carry out another terrorist strike in the city for a long time administered by the political machine of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose legacy – both famous and infamous – was established by aggressively securitising Davao through hardline anti-crime and anti-drug policies. At an entrance of the night market, at least four guards stand searching bags.

The authorities has rejected claims that it was a terrorist training ground for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of unrest and disenfranchisement that has seen some Islamic independence movements form alliances with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups persist, experts say they are limited in size and weakened.

Investigators Piece Together Movements

What is evident, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two did not leave the city nor obtained combat training in the country, as was initially suggested.

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

Police say there are numerous locations the two could have gone to or connected with associates in the neighborhood. Scores of establishments sit between the hotel where they stayed and a close by Jollibee, where they were known to buy their meals.

Officers are analyzing CCTV footage and tracking cab rides to establish their whereabouts, and that any potential lead are being considered.

Concerns in Marawi City Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of fierce battles with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, residents are worried that renewed accusations of extremism could lead to heightened securitisation and worsen bias against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member 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 information should provide clear and truthful answers without turning uncertainty into accusations against its people or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig lauded civic actions in strengthening the peace and order in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that radicalism simply disappeared”. He said the country must tackle economic and social issues and governance challenges that motivate the motivations behind the conflict while “continue pushing for acceptance and steer clear of discrimination and polarization”.