The Filipino Concept of Work: “Trabaho”, “Pagpapagal”, “Isang Kahig Isang Tuka” &………..”Pwesto”

Tagalog has a rather interesting terminology related to work: the English word work in Tagalog is trabaho. The word pagpapagal conveys the idea of effort, strain or very hard work.

These words well describe the condition of hard working people like the magsasaka or farmer or other categories of isang kahig isang tuka folks (people who scratch and peck to barely survive).

Public officials however, or mga empleyado ng gobyerno, are referred to as people who have a pwesto.

Now, while in English the word used in connection with what public officials do is office which tells me that those people render some kind of service to the public, the Tagalog word pwesto seems to tell me that in the Philippines public officials view their job as a pwesto or a position rather than an office or a service.

Is it just terminology or is there some truth behind these differences in terminology?……