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That was the most terrifying moment of his existence. Back in 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five metres away from a detonation at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The Islamic State strike killed 15, including his wife's brother. A lengthy battle between the armed forces and the jihadist group in the city of Marawi came after.

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

Nearly a decade later, the shadow of IS once more hangs over one of the country's major cities, amidst international scrutiny over the 28-day stay in the city of the accused Bondi suspects, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who works as a massage therapist at the night market, saw news of Bondi on the media, but like other citizens surveyed, felt predominantly removed.

The 2016 bombing is a painful recollection he is working to forget. A memorial for the 2016 victims sits in a part of the night market, looking incongruous amidst the festive atmosphere as crowds gathered there for food, massages and trinkets.

Active Probes Amid Holiday Cheer

Examinations of the visit to the country of the duo coincides with the mostly Catholic country is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been lit up by a towering Christmas tree, shopping centers are busy, 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 sightseeing, not extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Officials have emphasized the probe into their whereabouts is active and the precise reason for their stay is as yet uncertain.

“It is just a shame that valid issues are exploited by terrorism. Regrettably, the reputation of brutal violence was unfairly glued to the island's character,” stated Karlos Manlupig, executive director of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.

Trust in Policing Legacy

Lorenzo is additionally confident that no one could execute another terror attack in the city historically governed by the clan of past leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both famous and notorious – was built on aggressively securitising Davao through hardline anti-crime and drug war initiatives. At an entrance of the night market, at least four personnel stand searching bags.

The authorities has rejected suggestions that it was a terrorist training ground for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of conflict and disenfranchisement that has seen some Muslim separatist groups forge ties with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups still exist, authorities say they are limited in size and diminished.

Investigators Reconstruct Whereabouts

What is clear, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two stayed within the city nor obtained military-style training in the country, as was initially suggested.

Law enforcement have said they are “not taking lightly” the duo's visit in the country as they reconstruct the movements of the father and son during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Police say there are several establishments the two could have frequented or connected with associates in the vicinity. Scores of outlets sit between the hotel where they stayed and a nearby restaurant, where they were reported to buy their food.

Detectives are reviewing CCTV footage and tracking transport records to establish their itinerary, and that all possibilities are being considered.

Worries in Marawi Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of fierce battles with extremist groups in 2017, inhabitants are anxious that fresh associations with terrorism could lead to tighter restrictions and deepen discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a professor at the university in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must establish what took place.

“[The Akrams’] visit should be properly investigated and the intel should provide clear and truthful answers without turning uncertainty into accusations against Mindanao or its people,” Abdullah said.

Manlupig praised civic actions in improving the peace and order in Davao City but he said “it is not true that terrorism magically vanished”. He said the country must confront root causes and political factors that fuel the impulses behind the conflict while “persist in promoting understanding and avoid bias and polarization”.