🔗 Share this article

This was the scariest experience of his existence. In September 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five metres away from a bomb explosion at the night market in Roxas in Davao City. The IS assault left 15 dead, among them his wife's brother. A prolonged siege between the military and the extremist group in Marawi City came after.

“It will not happen again in Davao,” Pendon says.

Nine years later, the shadow of IS again looms over one of the Philippines’ major cities, during international scrutiny over the 28-day stay in the city of the accused Bondi attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed.

Pendon, who works as a massage technician at the night market, saw news of the Bondi incident on the media, but as with other locals interviewed, felt largely detached.

The 2016 attack is a painful recollection he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 victims stands in a corner of the night market, appearing out of place against the festive atmosphere as hundreds gathered there for meals, massages and souvenirs.

Ongoing Probes Amid Christmas Preparations

Examinations of the time in the Philippines of the duo coincides with the mostly Catholic nation is gearing up for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been adorned with a large Christmas tree, malls are crowded, and children knock on doors to sing carols.

“It surprised me to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for travel, not terrorism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. The government have stated the inquiry into their activities is ongoing and the precise reason for their visit is as yet uncertain.

“It is unfortunate that legitimate grievances are exploited by extremism. Unfortunately, the reputation of brutal violence was incorrectly tied to Mindanao’s identity,” noted Karlos Manlupig, executive director of peace-building NGO Balay Mindanao.

Confidence in Security Legacy

Lorenzo is also assured that nobody could execute another terrorist strike in the city long ruled by the political machine of past leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both notable and infamous – was established by heavily policing Davao through hardline anti-crime and drug war initiatives. At an entrance of the night market, at minimum four guards stand searching bags.

The Philippine government has pushed back against claims that it was a base for militant training for the alleged Bondi shooters. The country has a long history of conflict and marginalization that has seen some Muslim separatist groups forge ties with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups persist, authorities say they are limited in size and degraded.

Authorities Piece Together Movements

What is certain, stated Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two never left the city nor received combat training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

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

Investigators say there are numerous places the two could have gone to or met contacts in the neighborhood. Dozens of outlets sit between the hotel where they stayed and a nearby popular fast food chain, where they were understood to buy their food.

Officers are examining surveillance tapes and tracking taxi trips to piece together their movements, and that all possibilities are being explored.

Fears in Marawi City Over Bias

In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with IS-linked militants in 2017, inhabitants are anxious that new associations with terrorism could lead to heightened securitisation and increase discrimination against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a academic at the institution in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must establish what happened.

“[The Akrams’] time here should be properly investigated and the intelligence should provide transparent and factual answers without turning uncertainty into accusations against Mindanao or its people,” Andullah said.

Manlupig lauded community efforts in enhancing the security situation in Davao City but he said “it is not true that radicalism was eradicated”. He said the country must address economic and social issues and political factors that drive the reasons behind the unrest while “continue pushing for tolerance and avoid bias and division”.