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This was the scariest experience of his life. In the fall of 2016, Gerry Pendon was a mere five metres away from a bomb explosion at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The ISIS strike left 15 dead, including his wife's brother. A five-month siege between the military and the jihadist group in the city of Marawi came after.

“It cannot take place again in Davao,” Pendon says.

Nearly a decade later, the threat of IS again looms over one of the nation's largest cities, during worldwide focus over the month-long stay in the city of the suspected Bondi suspects, the Akrams, father and son.

Pendon, who is a a masseur at the night market, saw news of Bondi on the media, but like other citizens interviewed, felt mostly disconnected.

Even the 2016 attack is a traumatic event he is working to forget. A memorial for the 2016 fatalities is placed in a corner of the night market, seeming incongruous amid the joyful mood as many people flocked there for food, massages and goods.

Ongoing Inquiries Amid Festive Preparations

Probes regarding the Philippines activities of the father and son coincides with the predominantly Catholic nation is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been decorated with a tall Christmas tree, malls are crowded, 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 terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Officials have stated the inquiry into their actions is continuing and the true reason for their stay is still unknown.

“It is a shame that real concerns are exploited by radicalism. Sadly, the narrative of savage attacks was wrongly attached to the region's identity,” noted Karlos Manlupig, head of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Policing Record

Lorenzo is furthermore assured that no one could execute another act of terror in the city historically governed by the political machine of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both renowned and controversial – was built on aggressively securitising Davao through hardline anti-crime and anti-drug initiatives. At an entrance of the night market, at minimum four officers stand checking bags.

The national government has denied claims that it was a base for militant training for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of unrest and disenfranchisement that has seen some Islamic independence movements establish links with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups persist, security officials say they are small and diminished.

Investigators Reconstruct Whereabouts

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

Investigators have said they are “not taking lightly” the duo's presence in the country as they reconstruct the movements of the suspects during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Authorities say there are several establishments the two could have frequented or had meetings in the area. Many of businesses sit between the GV Hotel and a nearby popular fast food chain, where they were known to buy their meals.

Detectives are reviewing security camera video and tracking transport records to establish their itinerary, and that every scenario are being entertained.

Concerns in the Region Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of fierce battles with extremist groups in 2017, inhabitants are worried that fresh associations with terrorism could lead to heightened securitisation and increase discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member at the institution in Marawi City, said the Philippine security agencies must establish what took place.

“[The Akrams’] stay should be carefully probed and the intel should provide clear and truthful answers without turning uncertainty into finger-pointing against its people or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig commended civic actions in strengthening the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “that does not imply that terrorism magically vanished”. He said the country must tackle root causes and political factors that drive the impulses behind the violence while “keep advocating for tolerance and avoid prejudice and sectarianism”.