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This was the most terrifying time of his existence. Back in 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five meters away from a blast at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The Islamic State attack killed 15, among them his wife's brother. A five-month siege between the armed forces and the extremist group in Marawi ensued.

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

Nine years later, the specter of IS reappears over one of the nation's major cities, during worldwide focus over the four-week stay in the city of the alleged Bondi suspects, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who is a a massage therapist at the night market, heard about Bondi on the media, but like other locals interviewed, felt mostly disconnected.

The 2016 blast is a bad memory he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 deaths sits in a section of the night market, appearing out of place amid the joyful mood as many people gathered there for food, massages and trinkets.

Ongoing Investigations Amid Holiday Cheer

Investigations into the visit to the country of the father and son is happening while the predominantly 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 sightseeing, not extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. The government have emphasized the inquiry into their actions is active and the exact reason for their stay is still uncertain.

“It is a shame that valid issues are co-opted by radicalism. Unfortunately, the story of extreme conflict was wrongly attached to the island's character,” noted Karlos Manlupig, leader of non-governmental organization Balay Mindanao.

Confidence in Policing Legacy

Lorenzo is furthermore certain that nobody could perpetrate another terrorist strike in the city historically administered by the political machine of past leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose legacy – both renowned and notorious – was built on aggressively securitising Davao through tough law and order and drug war campaigns. At one entrance of the night market, at least four officers stand checking bags.

The Philippine government 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 conflict and marginalisation that has seen some local militant factions establish links with overseas extremist organizations. But while IS-linked groups remain present, authorities say they are limited in size and degraded.

Authorities Trace Whereabouts

What is clear, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, is the two stayed within the city nor underwent combat training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Investigators have said they are “treating with gravity” the duo's presence in the country as they map out the movements of the pair during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Investigators say there are numerous locations the two could have visited or met contacts in the neighborhood. Many of establishments sit between the their accommodation and a local Jollibee, where they were understood to buy their food.

Detectives are reviewing surveillance tapes and tracing cab rides to reconstruct their movements, and that every scenario are being considered.

Worries in the Region Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, locals are concerned that renewed terrorist labels could lead to heightened securitisation and increase discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member at the institution in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must determine what took place.

“[The Akrams’] stay should be carefully probed and the intelligence should provide transparent and factual answers without converting questions into accusations against its people or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig lauded civic actions in improving the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “it is not true that extremism was eradicated”. He said the country must confront root causes and political factors that drive the impulses behind the violence while “persist in promoting tolerance and prevent discrimination and sectarianism”.