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It was the most frightening time of his life. In September 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five metres away from a detonation at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The Islamic State strike left 15 dead, including his brother-in-law. A lengthy conflict between the military and the extremist group in Marawi City came after.

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

Nearly a decade later, the threat of IS reappears over one of the nation's major cities, amid international scrutiny over the 28-day stay in the city of the accused Bondi suspects, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed.

Pendon, who works as a masseur at the night market, learned of the attack on the television, but similar to other locals interviewed, felt predominantly removed.

Even the 2016 blast is a bad memory he is working to forget. A monument for the 2016 fatalities stands in a section of the night market, seeming mismatched amid the celebratory environment as many people gathered there for food, massages and trinkets.

Current Inquiries Amid Festive Preparations

Probes regarding the Philippines activities of the pair is happening while the overwhelmingly Catholic country is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been lit up by a large Christmas tree, shopping centers are crowded, and children knock on doors to sing carols.

“I was taken aback to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for tourism, not terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Officials have emphasized the probe into their activities is ongoing and the exact reason for their trip is remains unclear.

“It is just regrettable that real concerns are co-opted by radicalism. Regrettably, the reputation of brutal violence was unfairly glued to the region's identity,” stated Karlos Manlupig, leader of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Security History

Lorenzo is also confident that no one could execute another act of terror in the city for a long time governed by the family of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both renowned and notorious – was built on aggressively securitising Davao through hardline law and order and anti-drug campaigns. At one entrance of the night market, at minimum four guards stand inspecting bags.

The authorities has denied claims that it was a base for militant training for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of conflict and marginalisation that has seen some Islamic independence movements establish links with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups remain present, security officials say they are limited in size and degraded.

Police Reconstruct Whereabouts

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

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

Police say there are several places the two could have gone to or had meetings in the neighborhood. Dozens of establishments sit between the hotel where they stayed and a local restaurant, where they were understood to buy their food.

Detectives are analyzing surveillance tapes and following cab rides to piece together their itinerary, and that every scenario are being considered.

Worries in the Region Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, inhabitants are concerned that new accusations of extremism could lead to heightened securitisation and increase discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must find out what transpired.

“[The Akrams’] stay should be carefully probed and the information should provide clear and truthful answers without transforming doubt into accusations against the region or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig praised community efforts in enhancing the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “it is not true that radicalism simply disappeared”. He said the country must tackle root causes and governance challenges that drive the motivations behind the unrest while “continue pushing for understanding and steer clear of prejudice and sectarianism”.