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It was the scariest moment of his life. During 2016, Gerry Pendon was a mere five metres away from a detonation at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The ISIS attack killed 15, including his wife's brother. A prolonged conflict between the armed forces and the extremist group in Marawi followed.

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

Nearly a decade later, the shadow of IS once more hangs over one of the Philippines’ largest cities, amidst global attention over the month-long stay in the city of the accused Bondi suspects, the Akrams, father and son.

Pendon, who is a a massage therapist at the night market, heard about the Bondi incident on the television, but as with other locals surveyed, felt largely removed.

Even the 2016 attack is a bad memory he is attempting to put behind him. A monument for the 2016 deaths sits in a part of the night market, seeming out of place amidst the celebratory mood as crowds flocked there for meals, massages and goods.

Current Inquiries Amid Holiday Preparations

Examinations of the time in the Philippines of the father and son comes as the mostly Catholic country is gearing up for Christmas. Davao’s government center has been lit up by a tall Christmas tree, shopping centers are packed, and children knock on doors 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. The government have emphasized the inquiry into their whereabouts is ongoing and the precise reason for their trip is as yet uncertain.

“It is a shame that valid issues are exploited by extremism. Sadly, the reputation of savage attacks was unfairly glued to the island's identity,” noted Karlos Manlupig, executive director of non-governmental organization Balay Mindanao.

Trust in Security History

Lorenzo is furthermore assured that nobody could perpetrate another terror attack in the city historically administered by the clan of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both renowned 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 personnel stand checking bags.

The authorities has pushed back against suggestions that it was a base for militant training for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of conflict and marginalization that has seen some local militant factions form alliances with overseas extremist organizations. But while IS-linked groups still exist, authorities say they are small and degraded.

Authorities Reconstruct Whereabouts

What is certain, stated Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two did not leave the city nor underwent combat training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Law enforcement have said they are “treating with gravity” the father and son's presence in the country as they reconstruct the movements of the suspects during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Police say there are several places the two could have frequented or met contacts in the area. Scores of establishments sit between the hotel where they stayed and a nearby Jollibee, where they were reported to buy their meals.

Detectives are analyzing CCTV footage and following taxi trips to establish their whereabouts, and that every scenario are being entertained.

Worries in the Region Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, residents are concerned that new accusations of extremism could lead to increased security measures and increase prejudice against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member at the university in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must establish what took place.

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

Manlupig praised community efforts in improving the security situation in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that extremism magically vanished”. He said the country must tackle socioeconomic factors and political factors that fuel the motivations behind the violence while “persist in promoting acceptance and prevent bias and division”.