Troubling Memories Return in Davao City as Officials Piece Together Bondi Attack Suspects’ Activities
This was the most terrifying moment of his existence. Back in the fall of 2016, Gerry Pendon was just five metres away from a blast at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The ISIS attack left 15 dead, including his wife's brother. A prolonged conflict between the army and the extremist group in Marawi came after.
“It won’t happen again in Davao,” Pendon says.
Nine years later, the shadow of IS again looms over one of the nation's major cities, amidst worldwide focus over the month-long stay in the city of the accused Bondi beach shooters, the Akrams, father and son.
Pendon, who is a a massage technician at the night market, saw news of the Bondi incident on the television, but as with other locals interviewed, felt predominantly detached.
Even the 2016 bombing is a bad memory he is working to forget. A remembrance marker for the 2016 deaths is placed in a corner of the night market, seeming incongruous against the joyful environment as crowds flocked there for meals, massages and souvenirs.
Active Probes Amid Christmas Preparations
Examinations of the time in the Philippines of the father and son coincides with the predominantly Catholic nation is getting ready for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been adorned with a towering Christmas tree, shopping centers are busy, and children knock on doors to perform Christmas songs.
“I was taken aback to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for tourism, not violence,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. The government have stated the probe into their activities is ongoing and the exact reason for their trip is remains unknown.
“It is a shame that valid issues are hijacked by radicalism. Regrettably, the reputation of extreme conflict was unfairly glued to Mindanao’s image,” noted Karlos Manlupig, executive director of advocacy group Balay Mindanao.
Trust in Policing Legacy
Lorenzo is additionally certain that no one could perpetrate another terrorist strike in the city historically ruled by the political machine of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose reputation – both renowned and notorious – was established by tightly securing Davao through hardline law and order and drug war policies. At an entrance of the night market, at least four guards stand inspecting bags.
The Philippine government has pushed back against suggestions that it was a base for militant training for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a complicated background of unrest and disenfranchisement that has seen some Islamic independence movements forge ties with international jihadist groups. But while IS-linked groups remain present, experts say they are limited in size and diminished.
Police Piece Together Activities
What is certain, said Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two stayed within the city nor obtained military-style training in the country, as was earlier claimed.
Investigators have said they are “not taking lightly” the duo's presence in the country as they map out the movements of the pair during their month-long stay in Davao City.
Investigators say there are many places the two could have gone to or met contacts in the area. Dozens of establishments sit between the GV Hotel and a local popular fast food chain, where they were known to buy their meals.
Detectives are reviewing CCTV footage and following transport records to reconstruct their whereabouts, and that all possibilities are being considered.
Concerns in Marawi City Over Stigma
In Marawi, the site of a major conflict with Islamic State affiliates in 2017, residents are worried that renewed accusations of extremism could lead to tighter restrictions and increase prejudice against Muslims.
Tirmizy Abdullah, a professor at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine security agencies must find out what happened.
“[The Akrams’] stay should be thoroughly examined and the information should provide accurate and honest answers without transforming doubt into accusations against its people or its people,” he said.
Manlupig commended local initiatives in improving the safety conditions in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that terrorism was eradicated”. He said the country must tackle root causes and governance challenges that fuel the motivations behind the conflict while “continue pushing for tolerance and avoid discrimination and polarization”.
