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This was the most frightening time of his life. Back in 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five meters away from a bomb explosion at the Roxas night market in Davao City. The ISIS assault claimed 15 lives, including his wife's brother. A five-month battle between the armed forces and the extremist group in the city of Marawi came after.

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

Years later, the threat of IS reappears over one of the nation's largest cities, amidst international scrutiny over the month-long stay in the city of the accused Bondi beach shooters, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who makes a living as a massage technician at the night market, heard about the attack on the television, but as with other residents interviewed, felt largely detached.

The 2016 bombing is a bad memory he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 fatalities is placed in a section of the night market, looking mismatched amid the celebratory atmosphere as hundreds gathered there for meals, massages and goods.

Active Investigations Amid Christmas Cheer

Investigations into the visit to the country of the father and son coincides with the overwhelmingly Catholic country is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been lit up by a towering Christmas tree, malls are busy, 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 extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Authorities have emphasized the inquiry into their whereabouts is continuing and the exact reason for their trip is still uncertain.

“It is regrettable that real concerns are hijacked by terrorism. Sadly, the story of brutal violence was unfairly glued to Mindanao’s identity,” said Karlos Manlupig, head of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Safety Legacy

Lorenzo is furthermore assured that no one could execute another terrorist strike in the city historically governed by the clan of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose legacy – both notable and notorious – was established by aggressively securitising Davao through strict anti-crime and drug war campaigns. At one entrance of the night market, at least four officers stand checking bags.

The authorities has denied claims that it was a base for militant training for the alleged Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of conflict and marginalization that has seen some local militant factions form alliances with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups remain present, security officials say they are limited in size and weakened.

Authorities Trace Movements

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

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

Police say there are many locations the two could have gone to or had meetings in the area. Scores of businesses sit between the hotel where they stayed and a local Jollibee, where they were known to buy their food.

Detectives are examining surveillance tapes and following cab rides to reconstruct their movements, and that all possibilities are being considered.

Worries in Marawi City Over Labels

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with extremist groups in 2017, residents are concerned that renewed terrorist labels could lead to heightened securitisation and worsen discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a professor at the university in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must determine what transpired.

“[The Akrams’] visit should be thoroughly examined and the intel should provide accurate and honest answers without turning uncertainty into blame against its people or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig commended local initiatives in enhancing the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that radicalism simply disappeared”. He said the country must tackle socioeconomic factors and governance challenges that motivate the impulses behind the violence while “continue pushing for acceptance and steer clear of prejudice and sectarianism”.