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That was the scariest time of his life. Back in the fall of 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five meters away from a blast at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The ISIS assault killed 15, including his wife's brother. A five-month battle between the army and the jihadist group in Marawi came after.

“It won’t take place again in Davao,” Pendon says.

Nearly a decade later, the threat of IS once more hangs over one of the country's largest cities, during worldwide focus over the four-week stay in the city of the accused Bondi beach shooters, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who makes a living as a masseur at the night market, saw news of the attack on the television, but similar to other locals surveyed, felt mostly removed.

Even the 2016 attack is a traumatic event he is attempting to put behind him. A memorial for the 2016 fatalities is placed in a corner of the night market, looking incongruous amidst the joyful atmosphere as hundreds gathered there for food, massages and trinkets.

Ongoing Investigations Amid Christmas Cheer

Probes regarding the Philippines activities of the father and son is happening while the overwhelmingly Catholic country is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been adorned with a towering Christmas tree, malls are packed, and children go door-to-door to perform Christmas songs.

“It surprised me to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for travel, not extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. The government have emphasized the probe into their whereabouts is ongoing and the true reason for their trip is still uncertain.

“It is simply regrettable that valid issues are exploited by extremism. Sadly, the narrative of savage attacks was incorrectly tied to the island's identity,” noted Karlos Manlupig, head of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.

Trust in Policing History

Lorenzo is additionally assured that no one could carry out another terror attack in the city historically governed by the political machine of past leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both famous and infamous – was built on aggressively securitising Davao through strict anti-crime and drug war initiatives. At an entrance of the night market, at minimum four officers stand searching bags.

The national government has rejected claims that it was a terrorist training ground for the alleged Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of unrest and marginalisation that has seen some local militant factions form alliances with overseas extremist organizations. But while IS-linked groups persist, authorities say they are limited in size and diminished.

Authorities Reconstruct Activities

What is clear, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two stayed within the city nor received combat training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Police have said they are “treating with gravity” the father and son's presence in the country as they reconstruct the activities of the father and son during their four-week stay in Davao City.

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

Detectives are analyzing CCTV footage and following transport records to establish their movements, and that all possibilities are being considered.

Worries in the Region Over Labels

In Marawi, the site of fierce battles with extremist groups in 2017, residents are anxious that new associations with terrorism could lead to heightened securitisation and deepen prejudice against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a professor at the university in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must find out what happened.

“[The Akrams’] visit should be carefully probed and the intelligence should provide accurate and honest answers without converting questions into accusations against the region or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig lauded local initiatives in enhancing the peace and order in Davao City but he said “it is not true that extremism magically vanished”. He said the country must confront economic and social issues and governance challenges that motivate the reasons behind the violence while “continue pushing for acceptance and avoid bias and sectarianism”.