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This was the scariest moment of his existence. Back in the fall of 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five meters away from a blast at the Roxas night market in Davao City. The IS strike left 15 dead, among them his wife's brother. A lengthy conflict between the army and the militant group in the city of Marawi ensued.

“It will not happen again in Davao,” Pendon says.

Nearly a decade later, the specter of IS reappears over one of the country's key cities, amidst worldwide focus over the 28-day stay in the city of the accused Bondi beach shooters, the Akrams, father and son.

Pendon, who is a a massage technician at the night market, learned of the attack on the news, but as with other citizens interviewed, felt mostly detached.

Even the 2016 blast is a traumatic event he is trying to move on from. A memorial for the 2016 victims is placed in a part of the night market, seeming mismatched against the celebratory environment as many people gathered there for food, massages and goods.

Active Probes Amid Festive Cheer

Probes regarding the Philippines activities of the pair is happening while the overwhelmingly Catholic nation is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been decorated with a large 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 travel, not violence,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. The government have made clear the inquiry into their activities is active and the precise reason for their visit is remains unknown.

“It is regrettable that legitimate grievances are exploited by terrorism. Unfortunately, the story of savage attacks was unfairly glued to the region's image,” said Karlos Manlupig, executive director of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Security Record

Lorenzo is also assured that nobody could perpetrate another terrorist strike in the city for a long time ruled by the family of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both renowned and notorious – was built on aggressively securitising Davao through hardline law and order and anti-drug initiatives. At one entrance of the night market, at minimum four guards stand checking bags.

The national government has rejected claims that it was a base for militant training for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a long history of conflict and marginalisation that has seen some local militant factions forge ties with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups still exist, experts say they are small and weakened.

Investigators Reconstruct Movements

What is evident, said Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two did not leave the city nor obtained military-style training in the country, as was previously alleged.

Investigators have said they are “taking seriously” the pair’s visit in the country as they piece together the movements of the suspects during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Police say there are numerous locations the two could have gone to or connected with associates in the neighborhood. Many of businesses sit between the their accommodation and a local restaurant, where they were known to buy their food.

Detectives are reviewing security camera video and following cab rides to establish their itinerary, and that all possibilities are being considered.

Fears in Marawi City Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with extremist groups in 2017, inhabitants are worried that renewed accusations of extremism could lead to heightened securitisation and deepen discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a academic at the institution in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must establish what transpired.

“[The Akrams’] time here should be properly investigated and the intelligence should provide transparent and factual answers without transforming doubt into blame against the region or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig praised community efforts in strengthening the peace and order in Davao City but he said “it is not true that radicalism magically vanished”. He said the country must confront socioeconomic factors and governance challenges that motivate the impulses behind the conflict while “persist in promoting tolerance and steer clear of bias and division”.