🔗 Share this article

It was the scariest moment of his life. During 2016, Gerry Pendon was a mere five metres away from a blast at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The ISIS strike left 15 dead, including his wife's brother. A five-month siege between the armed forces and the extremist group in Marawi City ensued.

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

Nearly a decade later, the shadow of IS again looms over one of the country's key cities, during global attention over the month-long stay in the city of the suspected Bondi beach shooters, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who is a a massage technician at the night market, saw news of the attack on the news, but similar to other locals interviewed, felt predominantly disconnected.

The 2016 blast is a painful recollection he is attempting to put behind him. A monument for the 2016 victims is placed in a part of the night market, looking incongruous against the joyful mood as crowds came there for meals, massages and trinkets.

Active Inquiries Amid Christmas Preparations

Investigations into the visit to the country of the duo coincides with the overwhelmingly Catholic nation is gearing up for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been adorned with a tall Christmas tree, shopping centers are crowded, 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 extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. Officials have emphasized the investigation into their activities is ongoing and the exact reason for their trip is remains unclear.

“It is simply unfortunate that real concerns are co-opted by extremism. Unfortunately, the narrative of extreme conflict was incorrectly tied to the region's character,” stated Karlos Manlupig, leader of non-governmental organization Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Policing Legacy

Lorenzo is also assured that no one could carry out another terror attack in the city long administered by the political machine of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose legacy – both famous and infamous – was forged through tightly securing Davao through tough anti-crime and anti-drug campaigns. At one entrance of the night market, at least four officers stand searching bags.

The national government has denied suggestions that it was a terrorist training ground for the alleged Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of conflict and marginalization that has seen some local militant factions establish links with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups still exist, experts say they are small and degraded.

Police Reconstruct Movements

What is evident, commented Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ national security adviser, is the two never left the city nor underwent combat training in the country, as was previously alleged.

Law enforcement have said they are “not taking lightly” the pair’s visit in the country as they piece together the actions of the father and son during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Authorities say there are numerous locations the two could have visited or had meetings in the vicinity. Scores of establishments sit between the hotel where they stayed and a close by restaurant, where they were understood to buy their meals.

Detectives are analyzing surveillance tapes and following transport records to reconstruct their whereabouts, and that all possibilities are being explored.

Concerns in Marawi City Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with IS-linked militants in 2017, residents are worried that renewed terrorist labels could lead to heightened securitisation and deepen prejudice against Muslims.

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

“[The Akrams’] time here should be carefully probed and the intel should provide clear and truthful answers without turning uncertainty into blame against its people or its people,” he said.

Manlupig commended community efforts in improving the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that extremism was eradicated”. He said the country must address socioeconomic factors and governance challenges that drive the motivations behind the violence while “continue pushing for acceptance and avoid bias and sectarianism”.