DAVAO CITY – Authorities are investigating the movements of Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, the father-and-son Bondi Beach gunmen who visited this city prior to the recent shootings in Sydney, Australia.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed on Tuesday that they were in the Philippines, particularly here, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28.

Major Catherine dela Rey, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office in Davao Region, said that the duo declared Davao as their final destination.

But Dela Rey told reporters that authorities are still verifying their actual presence in this city.

Manila Bulletin sources confirmed that the intelligence community is also investigating the movement of the Akrams and if they met somebody while they were here.

Reports showed that the duo stayed at GV Hotel on Magallanes St. from Nov. 1 to 28.

According to hotel staff, the Akrams initially booked for one week and paid in cash.

They eventually kept on extending their booking for a week until they checked out on Nov. 28.

Jenelyn Sayson, front desk manager, said that the Akrams were not their first customers who stayed for a long period.

Sayson added they occasionally have extended bookings for over a month.

She admitted that they were stunned when they saw on the news that their former guests were involved in the shooting.

Sayson recalled that the younger Akram had a beard and shorter hair during their stay.

The hotel staff said authorities have already obtained a copy of their CCTV footages and other hotel records.

Both occupied a twin bedroom on the third floor at room No. 315 which a housekeeping staff showed to reporters.

The room is facing the stairs leading to the ground floor and a room away from the elevator.

Another male staff admitted that he was the one who booked the Akrams and Room 315 was the only room vacant at that time.

The staff added they had backpacks and a big luggage.

He added that they usually went out for an hour every day and return to the hotel.

Another hotel staff recalled that they did not notice the Akrams meeting somebody in the hotel lobby nor entertained any guest inside their rooms.

They just brought fast food packs inside their rooms since they don't serve food, said hotel staff Ram Ligod.

"We did not notice anything unusual from their movement. They just acted like any normal guests," Ligod told Manila Bulletin in the vernacular.

"Except that they would only stick their hand out whenever they would request for a new towel."

Unlike other guests who booked for a longer period, he added, they did not notice the Akrams taking out their laundry nor asked if there were laundry shops nearby.

Upon check out, staff recalled that their beds were rearranged. "I think they rearranged it because they needed some space to pray."

The hotel staff recounted that the Akrams also rarely interacted with them. "They would just respond when we say good morning or good evening."

GV Hotel is a four-story budget hotel that sits about 400 meters away east of the city hall.

The hotel location is a bustling area where many commercial establishments and small restaurants are located.

Following the incident in Australia, foreign news outlets reported that the Akrams reportedly undertook military training while they were in the country, a claim that the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Eastern Mindanao Command has debunked.

AFP Eastmincom spokesperson Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista told reporters that military intelligence has not received reports of the claim.

“While it remains part of our monitoring, we only see such things on TV. On the part of the military, there is no report on that,” Evangelista pointed out, adding that the Eastmincom is free from these terrorists.