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This was the most frightening moment of his life. During 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five metres away from a blast at the Roxas night market in Davao City. The Islamic State assault killed 15, among them his brother-in-law. A five-month conflict between the armed forces and the jihadist group in Marawi ensued.

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

Nine years later, the specter of IS reappears over one of the Philippines’ key cities, amidst global attention over the month-long stay in the city of the alleged Bondi beach shooters, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed.

Pendon, who makes a living as a masseur at the night market, learned of the attack on the television, but as with other locals surveyed, felt predominantly removed.

The 2016 blast is a painful recollection he is working to forget. A monument for the 2016 fatalities sits in a part of the night market, seeming out of place against the joyful mood as crowds came there for food, massages and souvenirs.

Ongoing Investigations Amid Holiday Celebrations

Investigations into the time in the Philippines of the duo is happening while the predominantly Catholic nation is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been adorned with a tall Christmas tree, malls are crowded, and children knock on doors to sing carols.

“It surprised me to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for sightseeing, not violence,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Authorities have emphasized the investigation into their whereabouts is ongoing and the true reason for their trip is remains unclear.

“It is a shame that real concerns are co-opted by terrorism. Sadly, the story of extreme conflict was wrongly attached to Mindanao’s character,” stated Karlos Manlupig, executive director of non-governmental organization Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Security Record

Lorenzo is also certain that nobody could perpetrate another terrorist strike in the city for a long time administered by the family of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both renowned and controversial – was built on heavily policing Davao through tough law and order and anti-drug initiatives. At an entrance of the night market, at minimum four officers stand searching bags.

The authorities has pushed back against suggestions that it was a hub for extremists for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a long history of instability and disenfranchisement that has seen some Islamic independence movements form alliances with overseas extremist organizations. But while IS-linked groups remain present, security officials say they are limited in size and degraded.

Investigators Reconstruct Whereabouts

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

Investigators have said they are “treating with gravity” the duo's presence in the country as they piece together the movements of the father and son during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Investigators say there are many establishments the two could have frequented or had meetings in the neighborhood. Scores of outlets sit between the their accommodation and a close by popular fast food chain, where they were understood to buy their meals.

Officers are reviewing surveillance tapes and tracing cab rides to reconstruct their whereabouts, and that any potential lead are being explored.

Worries in Marawi Over Labels

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, locals are worried that fresh associations with terrorism could lead to heightened securitisation and increase discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a academic at the university in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must establish what happened.

“[The Akrams’] stay should be thoroughly examined and the intel should provide transparent and factual answers without converting questions into blame against its people or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig praised civic actions in improving the security situation in Davao City but he said “it is not true that terrorism simply disappeared”. He said the country must confront root causes and political factors that fuel the reasons behind the unrest while “continue pushing for acceptance and prevent bias and polarization”.