🔗 Share this article

This was the scariest time of his life. Back in 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five meters away from a blast at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The IS attack left 15 dead, including his brother-in-law. A five-month siege between the military and the militant group in Marawi City followed.

“It cannot happen again in Davao,” Pendon states.

Years later, the threat of IS reappears over one of the Philippines’ key cities, during worldwide focus over the month-long stay in the city of the alleged Bondi beach shooters, the Akrams, father and son.

Pendon, who works as a massage therapist at the night market, learned of Bondi on the news, but similar to other residents surveyed, felt mostly removed.

Even the 2016 blast is a bad memory he is attempting to put behind him. A remembrance marker for the 2016 fatalities is placed in a part of the night market, appearing incongruous amidst the celebratory environment as many people came there for food, massages and trinkets.

Ongoing Inquiries Amid Festive Celebrations

Investigations into the Philippines activities of the pair comes as the mostly Catholic country is gearing up for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been decorated with a towering Christmas tree, shopping centers are packed, and children knock on doors to sing carols.

“I was surprised to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for sightseeing, not terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. The government have emphasized the investigation into their whereabouts is active and the precise reason for their trip is still uncertain.

“It is simply unfortunate that legitimate grievances are co-opted by extremism. Sadly, the story of brutal violence was incorrectly tied to the island's identity,” said Karlos Manlupig, leader of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Trust in Security Legacy

Lorenzo is also certain that nobody could perpetrate another act of terror in the city for a long time ruled by the political machine of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both famous and infamous – was built on heavily policing Davao through tough law and order and drug war policies. At an entrance of the night market, at least four officers stand inspecting bags.

The authorities has denied claims that it was a base for militant training for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of unrest and marginalisation that has seen some local militant factions establish links with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups persist, experts say they are small and weakened.

Authorities Reconstruct Activities

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

Law enforcement have said they are “treating with gravity” the pair’s visit in the country as they map out the movements of the father and son during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Authorities say there are many locations the two could have gone to or connected with associates in the neighborhood. Scores of establishments sit between the their accommodation and a local restaurant, where they were known to buy their meals.

Detectives are analyzing surveillance tapes and tracking transport records to piece together their whereabouts, and that all possibilities are being explored.

Fears in Marawi Over Bias

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

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

“[The Akrams’] time here should be carefully probed and the intelligence should provide transparent and factual answers without transforming doubt into blame against Mindanao or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig praised community efforts in strengthening the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “it is not true that terrorism was eradicated”. He said the country must address economic and social issues and governance challenges that drive the impulses behind the violence while “persist in promoting tolerance and prevent prejudice and polarization”.