Lozada House in the municipality of Dumanjug, Cebu, is haunted by a spirit known locally as "Jankin" — described as a giant, dark-complexioned figure believed to be the ghost of an African-American serviceman who drowned in the Tañon Strait during World War II. According to local accounts passed down through the Lozada family and their neighbors, the soldier was thrown overboard by a companion during a storm while crossing the strait between Cebu and Negros islands.
Jankin's presence in the house manifests in ways that set him apart from typical Filipino ghost encounters. Residents describe heavy, deliberate footsteps on the second floor, as if made by someone much larger and heavier than anyone in the household. Furniture is found rearranged in the morning. The spirit is said to be protective of the house and its inhabitants rather than malicious — an unusual trait that aligns with the Filipino folk concept of "nuno" or territorial spirits who guard a place in exchange for being respected.
The story of Jankin is situated in the broader history of the Cebu region during the Pacific War. The Tañon Strait, a deep-water channel between Cebu and Negros, was heavily trafficked by American military vessels and Filipino guerrilla supply boats during the liberation campaign of 1944-1945. Drownings and shipwrecks were common in the unpredictable waters, and the bodies of those lost at sea often washed ashore on the beaches of southwestern Cebu — including, perhaps, the man who would become Jankin.
The Lozada family has coexisted with the spirit for generations, treating him as a kind of household guardian. They leave offerings of tobacco and food, speak to him with respect, and attribute the house's longevity and their family's good fortune to his watchful presence. Visitors to Dumanjug can still hear the story of Jankin from locals, though the house itself has aged considerably and fewer family members remain to maintain the tradition.