This was the scariest experience of his life. Back in September 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five metres away from a blast at the Roxas night market in Davao City. The ISIS strike killed 15, among them his wife's brother. A five-month siege between the military and the extremist group in Marawi City came after.
“It will not happen again in Davao,” Pendon asserts.
Nearly a decade later, the shadow of IS again looms over one of the nation's key cities, amidst international scrutiny over the 28-day 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, heard about the Bondi incident on the television, but similar to other residents interviewed, felt mostly removed.
Even the 2016 bombing is a painful recollection he is trying to move on from. A remembrance marker for the 2016 deaths is placed in a section of the night market, looking incongruous against the celebratory environment as hundreds flocked there for meals, massages and trinkets.
Investigations into the time in the Philippines of the duo coincides with the predominantly Catholic country is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s municipal hall has been lit up by a tall Christmas tree, malls are packed, and children knock on doors to perform Christmas songs.
“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. Authorities have emphasized the probe into their whereabouts is continuing and the exact reason for their stay is still uncertain.
“It is just regrettable that real concerns are exploited by extremism. Regrettably, the reputation of extreme conflict was wrongly attached to the region's character,” noted Karlos Manlupig, executive director of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.
Lorenzo is additionally certain that no one could carry out another act of terror in the city for a long time administered by the clan of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both renowned and infamous – was forged through heavily policing Davao through strict law and order and drug war campaigns. At one entrance of the night market, at least four officers stand inspecting bags.
The Philippine government has pushed back against claims that it was a base for militant training for the suspected Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of conflict and disenfranchisement that has seen some local militant factions forge ties with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups remain present, security officials say they are limited in size and degraded.
What is certain, stated Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two stayed within the city nor underwent combat training in the country, as was earlier claimed.
Investigators have said they are “taking seriously” the father and son's visit in the country as they reconstruct the actions of the pair during their four-week stay in Davao City.
Authorities say there are many locations the two could have frequented or connected with associates in the area. Scores of establishments sit between the GV Hotel and a nearby popular fast food chain, where they were understood to buy their food.
Officers are examining surveillance tapes and tracing cab rides to piece together their whereabouts, and that any potential lead are being explored.
In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with IS-linked militants in 2017, residents are concerned that fresh terrorist labels could lead to increased security measures and increase prejudice against Muslims.
Tirmizy Abdullah, a professor at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine investigative bodies must find out what transpired.
“[The Akrams’] visit should be carefully probed and the information should provide clear and truthful answers without transforming doubt into finger-pointing against its people or its people,” he said.
Manlupig lauded community efforts in improving the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “it is not true that terrorism simply disappeared”. He said the country must tackle economic and social issues and governance challenges that drive the reasons behind the violence while “persist in promoting acceptance and avoid discrimination and polarization”.
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