Cebu's Urban Legend (Updated)

Manoktok (Door Knockers)

Before World War II, our grandparents would claim that in the middle of
the night, 2 old people and 1 young woman, clad in robes, would knock
at your door in the middle of the night. These three bear news that
someone in the household is about to die, usually the eldest member in
the household, or an ill family member. Their visits are more prevalent
during times of outbreaks of Cholera and other infectious diseases. In
the Cebu homeowners would paint white crosses
on their doors to stop these three from knocking thereon, hence, these
three started knocking on government buildings, churches and hospitals.
They claimed that after the war, their visits diminished or stopped
altogether. This was explained in this manner: after the war, most of
the buildings and houses were destroyed, hence, they had no more doors
to knock on.