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It was the scariest time of his life. In September 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five metres away from a bomb explosion at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The ISIS assault claimed 15 lives, including his brother-in-law. A five-month battle between the army and the extremist group in the city of Marawi followed.

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

Years later, the threat of IS again looms over one of the Philippines’ key cities, during global attention over the four-week stay in the city of the suspected Bondi suspects, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed.

Pendon, who is a a massage technician at the night market, saw news of Bondi on the television, but like other locals interviewed, felt mostly detached.

The 2016 bombing is a traumatic event he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 fatalities is placed in a part of the night market, seeming out of place against the celebratory environment as hundreds came there for food, massages and goods.

Active Inquiries Amid Holiday Cheer

Probes regarding the Philippines activities of the duo comes as the overwhelmingly Catholic nation is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been adorned with a towering Christmas tree, malls 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 travel, not extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. The government have emphasized the investigation into their actions is continuing and the precise reason for their visit is as yet unclear.

“It is regrettable that legitimate grievances are exploited by extremism. Unfortunately, the story of brutal violence was unfairly glued to Mindanao’s character,” said Karlos Manlupig, executive director of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Policing Record

Lorenzo is additionally assured that nobody could execute another act of terror in the city historically governed by the clan of past leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both renowned and infamous – was established by tightly securing Davao through strict law and order and drug war campaigns. At an entrance of the night market, at least four personnel stand checking bags.

The national government has rejected claims that it was a terrorist training ground for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a long history of instability and marginalisation that has seen some Islamic independence movements forge ties with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups persist, authorities say they are limited in size and weakened.

Police Trace Activities

What is clear, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, 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 father and son's stay in the country as they piece together the movements of the pair during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Authorities say there are several establishments the two could have frequented or connected with associates in the vicinity. Scores of establishments sit between the GV Hotel and a nearby Jollibee, where they were known to buy their food.

Detectives are examining security camera video and tracking cab rides to reconstruct their itinerary, and that all possibilities are being explored.

Fears in Marawi City Over Labels

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with extremist groups in 2017, residents are worried that renewed accusations of extremism could lead to increased security measures and deepen discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a academic at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine security agencies must determine what happened.

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

Manlupig praised civic actions in enhancing the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that terrorism simply disappeared”. He said the country must address economic and social issues and governance challenges that motivate the motivations behind the unrest while “persist in promoting understanding and avoid prejudice and sectarianism”.