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That was the most terrifying experience of his existence. Back in the fall of 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five metres away from a blast at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The IS attack killed 15, including his wife's brother. A five-month conflict between the military and the jihadist group in Marawi ensued.

“It will not happen again in Davao,” Pendon asserts.

Nearly a decade later, the shadow of IS again looms over one of the country's largest cities, during global attention over the four-week stay in the city of the alleged Bondi beach shooters, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed.

Pendon, who makes a living as a massage technician at the night market, heard about Bondi on the media, but as with other locals surveyed, felt predominantly detached.

The 2016 attack is a bad memory he is trying to move on from. A monument for the 2016 victims sits in a corner of the night market, appearing out of place amid the festive mood as many people flocked there for meals, massages and trinkets.

Ongoing Inquiries Amid Christmas Cheer

Examinations of the Philippines activities of the pair is happening while the mostly Catholic nation is gearing up for Christmas. Davao’s government center has been lit up by a tall Christmas tree, malls are packed, and children go door-to-door to sing carols.

“I was taken aback to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for travel, not terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Authorities have made clear the inquiry into their whereabouts is active and the true reason for their trip is remains uncertain.

“It is simply a shame that valid issues are hijacked by extremism. Unfortunately, the narrative of brutal violence was wrongly attached to the island's character,” said Karlos Manlupig, executive director of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Security Record

Lorenzo is also assured that nobody could perpetrate another act of terror in the city long administered by the family of past leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose legacy – both famous and infamous – was forged through aggressively securitising Davao through strict law and order and anti-drug campaigns. At an entrance of the night market, at least four guards stand searching bags.

The Philippine government has denied suggestions that it was a terrorist training ground for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of instability and disenfranchisement that has seen some Islamic independence movements forge ties with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups persist, experts say they are limited in size and weakened.

Police Trace Movements

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

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

Investigators say there are many locations the two could have frequented or connected with associates in the area. Dozens of outlets sit between the their accommodation and a nearby popular fast food chain, where they were known to buy their food.

Police are reviewing CCTV footage and following transport records to reconstruct their movements, and that every scenario are being considered.

Worries in the Region Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, inhabitants are concerned that new associations with terrorism could lead to tighter restrictions and deepen discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a professor at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must establish what happened.

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

Manlupig praised civic actions in improving the security situation in Davao City but he said “that does not imply that radicalism simply disappeared”. He said the country must address root causes and political factors that drive the impulses behind the conflict while “persist in promoting tolerance and steer clear of discrimination and division”.