EXAMPLE 3: Wedding = KASAL (Noun) [1] Use of PAG + kasal = Pagkasal (A planned event expected to happen in near the future.) Pagkasal ka na, bawal ka nang mambabae. (When you get married, you can't fool around with women anymore.) [2] Use of PAGPA + kasal = Pagpakasal (An anticipated event with no definite time of occurence in the future.) Pinag-uusapan nila ang pagpakasal sa aming dalawa. (They are talking about getting us married.) [3] Use of PAGPAPA + kasal = Pagpapakasal (To emphasize a state or condition that no longer subsists at the time of speaking) Ang pagpapakasal niya sa kanyang minamahal ang pinakamasaya niyang alaala. (Having been married to his true love is his happiest memory.) Different rules apply to different verbs. And, it depends on many factors. You can try asking your language teacher. Maybe he/she has a better explanation.

EXAMPLE 2: Importance/Value = HALAGA (Noun) [1] Use of PAG + halaga = Paghalaga (INCORRECT) [2.1] Use of PAGPA + halaga = Pagpahalaga (Done in the present time) "Giving too much importance on luxury is not good." Tagalog: Ang sobrang pagpahalaga sa luho ay masama. [2.2] Use of PAGPA + halaga + HAN = Pagpahalagahan (An advice to give importance to someone/something.) "Give importance to yourself." Tagalog: Pagpahalagahan mo ang iyong sarili. [3.1] Use of PAGPAPA + halaga = Pagpapahalaga (Action started sometime in the past and continues to the present time.) "Giving too much importance on luxury is not good." Tagalog: Ang sobrang pagpapahalaga sa luho ay masama. [3.2] PAGPAPA + halaga + HAN = Pagpapahalagahan (An action not done in the past but is going to be done from now until the future.) "He's going to value his friends from now." Tagalog: Pagpapahalagahan na niya ang mga kaibigan niya mula ngayon.

It's quite difficult to explain but I'll try... EXAMPLE 1: Game = LARO (Noun) [1] Use of PAG + laro = Verb "Playing tennis is good for your body." Tagalog: Acceptable: Ang pagLAro ng tennis ay nakakabuti sa katawan. (You want to encourage your listeners to do tennis BUT don't really care whether they do it or not.) Correct: Ang pagLALAro ng tennis ay nakakabuti sa katawan. (You want to encourage your listeners to do tennis regularly.) [2] Use of PAGPA + laro "Allowing him to play outside (for the 1st time) "will be" bad for his health." Tagalog: Ang pagpalaro mo sa kanya sa labas ay MAkakasama sa kanyang kalusugan. (The action "pagpalaro" was done for the first time, thus, it's "pagpa~") (We are uncertain of its outcome/We don't know yet if it's really gonna be bad for his health, thus, "MA"kakasama.) (And, we also don't know if the action of "pagpalaro" will be continued in the future.) [3] PAGPAPA + laro "Allowing him to play outside (for the 2nd or nth time) "is" bad for his health." Tagalog: Ang pagpapalaro mo sa kanya sa labas ay NAkakasama sa kanyang kalusugan. (The action "pagpapalaro" already happened multiple times prior to the event of saying this, thus, it's "pagpapa~") (We are certain of its outcome/We already know that it's bad for his health, thus, "NA"kakasama.) (And, the action of "pagpapalaro" is anticipated to continue again in the future.)

Maraming salamat sa mga kasagutan. I'm still learning Tagalog...pero natututo na mga tatlong taon, kaya naghahanap ako ng iba't ibang topics tungkol sa balarila. This is one of the topics I have been thinking about. To help others who come across this post of italki: From my observation pagpa- and pagpapa- can mean what the users have stated, but to further elaborate, builds VERBLESS sentences expressing a fact or general knowledge, or as with the case of the explanation of pagpalaro / pagpapalaro, the opinion of the speaker.

Different rules apply to different verbs.