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It was the most terrifying time of his existence. During 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five meters away from a blast at the Roxas night market in Davao City. The Islamic State attack killed 15, including his wife's brother. A five-month battle between the army and the extremist group in the city of Marawi ensued.

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

Nine years later, the specter of IS again looms over one of the country's largest cities, during international scrutiny over the four-week stay in the city of the accused Bondi beach shooters, the Akrams, father and son.

Pendon, who works as a massage technician at the night market, learned of the Bondi incident on the news, but like other citizens surveyed, felt mostly detached.

Even the 2016 blast is a painful recollection he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 deaths stands in a corner of the night market, seeming out of place amid the joyful atmosphere as hundreds gathered there for food, massages and goods.

Ongoing Inquiries Amid Festive Celebrations

Examinations of the time in the Philippines of the pair coincides with the mostly Catholic nation is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been decorated with a tall Christmas tree, malls are busy, and children go door-to-door 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, another a massage therapist at the market. Authorities have made clear the inquiry into their actions is active and the precise reason for their trip is remains unknown.

“It is regrettable that valid issues are hijacked by extremism. Regrettably, the reputation of savage attacks was unfairly glued to the region's character,” said Karlos Manlupig, head of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.

Confidence in Policing History

Lorenzo is furthermore certain that nobody could carry out another terrorist strike in the city long ruled by the clan of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both renowned and infamous – was established by heavily policing Davao through strict law and order and anti-drug policies. At one entrance of the night market, at minimum four officers stand checking bags.

The authorities has rejected 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 Muslim separatist groups establish links with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups persist, security officials say they are limited in size and degraded.

Investigators Trace Movements

What is evident, said Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, is the two never left the city nor underwent weapons training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Law enforcement have said they are “taking seriously” the father and son's visit in the country as they reconstruct the movements of the pair during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Police say there are several places the two could have frequented or had meetings in the neighborhood. Scores of businesses sit between the GV Hotel and a close by Jollibee, where they were known to buy their meals.

Police are reviewing surveillance tapes and tracing transport records to establish their movements, and that any potential lead are being considered.

Fears in the Region Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with IS-linked militants in 2017, locals are worried that fresh accusations of extremism could lead to increased security measures and worsen bias against Muslims.

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

“[The Akrams’] visit should be properly investigated and the intel should provide clear and truthful answers without converting questions into finger-pointing against Mindanao or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig commended community efforts in strengthening the peace and order in Davao City but he said “that does not imply that extremism magically vanished”. He said the country must address economic and social issues and governance challenges that motivate the impulses behind the violence while “keep advocating for acceptance and prevent discrimination and polarization”.