🔗 Share this article

It was the most frightening time of his life. Back in 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five meters away from a detonation at the Roxas night market in Davao City. The ISIS attack killed 15, among them his brother-in-law. A five-month conflict between the military and the extremist group in the city of Marawi followed.

“It cannot take place again in Davao,” Pendon says.

Years later, the threat of IS again looms over one of the nation's key cities, amid international scrutiny over the four-week stay in the city of the alleged Bondi attackers, a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram.

Pendon, who is a a masseur at the night market, learned of Bondi on the news, but like other locals interviewed, felt largely removed.

Even the 2016 attack is a traumatic event he is working to forget. A monument for the 2016 fatalities stands in a section of the night market, looking mismatched amid the celebratory mood as crowds flocked there for food, massages and trinkets.

Active Inquiries Amid Holiday Celebrations

Examinations of the visit to the country of the pair comes as the predominantly Catholic country is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been decorated with a tall Christmas tree, shopping centers are crowded, and children go door-to-door to sing carols.

“I was surprised to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for tourism, not extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, another a massage therapist at the market. Authorities have made clear the probe into their actions is active and the exact reason for their visit is as yet uncertain.

“It is regrettable that valid issues are exploited by radicalism. Sadly, the story of savage attacks was wrongly attached to Mindanao’s image,” stated Karlos Manlupig, head of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.

Faith in Safety Record

Lorenzo is also assured that nobody could carry out another act of terror in the city for a long time governed by the family of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both notable and infamous – was established by aggressively securitising Davao through hardline law and order and anti-drug initiatives. At one entrance of the night market, at least four guards stand checking bags.

The authorities has denied allegations that it was a terrorist training ground for the alleged Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of unrest and marginalization that has seen some local militant factions establish links with overseas extremist organizations. But while IS-linked groups remain present, experts say they are small and diminished.

Police Piece Together Activities

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

Investigators have said they are “treating with gravity” the pair’s presence in the country as they map out the movements of the pair during their month-long stay in Davao City.

Police say there are many establishments the two could have visited or had meetings in the vicinity. Dozens of establishments sit between the their accommodation and a close by restaurant, where they were understood to buy their meals.

Police are examining CCTV footage and following taxi trips to piece together their whereabouts, and that all possibilities are being explored.

Concerns in the Region Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of intense fighting with IS-linked militants in 2017, residents are anxious that new associations with terrorism could lead to tighter restrictions and deepen prejudice against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a faculty member at the institution in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must find out what took place.

“[The Akrams’] stay should be thoroughly examined and the information should provide transparent and factual answers without turning uncertainty into blame against the region or its people,” he said.

Manlupig lauded community efforts in improving the peace and order in Davao City but he said “that does not imply that radicalism was eradicated”. He said the country must confront economic and social issues and political factors that motivate the reasons behind the violence while “keep advocating for understanding and avoid discrimination and sectarianism”.