The history of Philippine plumbing pails in comparison–We’re not kidding, the etymology of the word ‘kubeta’ comes from a crude and early system of flushing the toilet, and refers to the initial device used to do so. Cubeta apparently refers to the Spanish term for the pail or bucket.
In 1902, the American colonizers introduced the use of the toilet via a pail conservancy system. This was known as the cubeta. Some articles say that the word began as one of the euphemisms for the toilet, along with ‘night soil’ for collected excreta and ‘outhouse’ for the outdoor small structure that became the bathroom.
A pail closet or pail privy was a room used for the disposal of human excreta, under the “pail system” (or Rochdale system) of waste removal. The “closet” (another euphemism for “toilet”) was a small outhouse (privy) which contained a seat, underneath which a portable receptacle was placed. This bucket, into which the user would relieve themselves, was removed and emptied by local authorities every night. The contents, known as night soil, would either be incinerated or composted into fertiliser.
References:
“Evolution of Houses in the Philippines in the Last 100 Years”.February 9, 2017.
“A Brief History of Architecture”. https://triptheislands.com/travel-tips/a-brief-history-of-philippine-architecture/
“Report of Philippine Commission.” Elihu Root Collection of United States Documents, Volume 82.
Araneta, Gemma Cruz. “False Friends.” http://filipinokastila.tripod.com/falso.html