REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

COTABATO CITY STATE POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

GRADUATE COLLEGE
Sinsuat Avenue, Cotabato City

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Subject: Research Methods and Design
Three(3) Proposed Titles

THE EFFECT OF POLITICAL DYNASTY IN ECONOMIC GROWTH:

FIRE INSPECTION PROGRAM OF BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION IN
COTABATO CITY: HOLLOW CONCRETE BLOCKS: ENSURE QUALITY
OF CONSTRUCITON MATERIAL

SUBMITTED BY:
MAROUPH YSMAEL M. DIOLANEN
MPA PLAN B

SUBMITTED TO:
PROF. MOHAMAD FAHEEM ALIUDEN, PhD,CE
  The Effect of Political Dynasty in Economic Growth
 
GRADUATE COLLEGE
COTABATO CITY STATE POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
COTABATO CITY

Diolanen, Marouph Ysmael M.

Rationale

  There is so much talk about political dynasties that you’d think that these are fairly recent
phenomena, something that appeared just after the Philippines gained independence in 1946.In
these areas, family members often occupy multiple positions within the administration. One may
be mayor, another serving on the city council, and another may even be the congressman for that
particular district. Setting aside the effects of vote-buying and other political chicanery, Filipino
voters in many areas seem to support, and prefer, these families. In business, families often own
corporations, and strive to keep control within the family. They do this primarily to protect the
family's interests, which essentially means the family's wealth and security. Royal families do the
same, passing power from father to son (and sometimes to daughter), to protect the family and
maintain its wealth. For both royal and corporate families, this is "the family business."
The research emphasizes the role of this politicians in shaping the economic and political
institutions that constitute the fundamental determinants of economic development because they
perpetuate themselves in power and persist across time. and persistence in attempts to reform
institutions, leading to captured democracies wherein economic institutions and policies
disproportionately benefit them. Political dynasties, exemplify a particular form of politicians in
which a single or few family groups monopolize political power. According to Dal Bo‟, E and P.,
& Synder, political dynasty is evident in every country where inequality is sometimes observed
in the practice of political power. The situation challenges the significance and existence of
political equality. Moreover, it is an example of irony living in democracy. This paper sought to
analyze the reasons why in a certain point of democratic principle, people choose to accept
political dominance. 
Political dynasties also have incentive to develop their own jurisdictions. Based on
Mancur Olson's theory of political governance or the "Roving Bandits vs. Stationary Bandits"
theory, dynastic politicians are more likely to pursue long-term development oriented strategies
since they expect to hold power and benefit from their position for longer. This is usually set in
contrast to non-dynastic politicians who would, under this theory, have less incentive to develop
due to their limited term. Political dynasties may undermine representation in democracy but
they might reinforce their stability by ensuring outside control of politicians. Hence drawbacks
and advantages of political dynasties have to be weighed against each other. To do so, the
functioning of political dynasties and particularly the transmission channels of their effects on
political regimes have to be better understood.
Political dynasties can undermine the quality of democracy and economic development in
the long growth. Several scholars argue that the dynastic nature of Philippine politics has lead to
a personalized style of politics that undermines the creation of a strong state and the adoption of
country-wide policies. But what is there about an elected position that would make someone
spend a fortune, engage in all sorts of dirty tactics, and sometimes even kill, to win it. And why
would any family treat it as a family business, worth fighting for, and passing from one
generation to the next, when there is no possibility of gainingng from it? Unless it really is a
business. And why does anyone go into any business? To make money. It's that simple. A big part
of any elected official's job is to be "in charge of the money." A mayor, for example, uses the city
budget to pay salaries, build roads, and fund social programs, among other things. This is made
even easier when some of those people are related to the elected official in charge. It's unlikely
that a councilman, for example, who is also the son of the mayor, would ever vote against one of
his fathers programs or actions, no matter how questionable it might be.This, in a nutshell, is the
real problem with political families. Strategically-placed family members, as in the case of a
mayor whose child is on the city council, or a governor who is succeeded by his wife, can all too
easily defeat the checks-and-balances which are designed to prevent a government official from
enriching himself at the expense of the taxpayer.

Objective of the Study

I want to highlight a few questions about the dynastic families in the country. The
consequences of the political dynasties in the Philippines, wherein there is an instinctive
consequences in terms of the governance, the fair elections among candidates, limited
opportunities for other candidates, and the check and balances. The following are the focus of
this study in knowing the effects of political dynasty in economic growth:
1. The power in political dynasties, whereas it addresses the absolute power in dynastic families,
there is abuse of power that members of political dynasty possess, and of course, corruption.
2. Do political dynasty responsible for corruption, tolerated incompetence of politicians
3. Is the Constitution have become weaker in line with the issues of implementing the reforms
have become slower.
4. What are positive effects of political dynasty in promoting development in its areas.

Theoretical Framework
The relationship between the Political Dynasty and Economic Growth is summarized into
a form of theoretical framework which stated in the Figure 1 below

Political Dynasty Economic Growth

  
Figure 1: Theoretical framework
  The independent variable for this research is Political Dynasty. Then, the dependent
variable is Economic Growth. Independent variable is the variable that is varied or can be
manipulated by the researcher while dependent variable is the presumed effect and consequence.
That is mean dependent variable can be influenced by independent variables.

Technical Background & Review of Related Literature

Political dynasties have long been present in democracies, raising concerns that
inequality in the distribution of political power may reflect imperfections in democratic
representation. Such concerns extend back to Mosca (1966 [1896], p. 74) who, writing in 1896,
argued that “every class displays the tendency to become hereditary, in fact if not in law” (our
translation) and that even when political positions are open to all, a family tie to those already in
power would confer various advantages. Michels (1999 [1911]), writing on “the iron law of
oligarchy”, stated that even in democratic organizations, the leadership, once elected, would
entrench itself in power, undermining the democratic principle of a level playing field. In this
paper, we show that political power in the U.S. is self-perpetuating and that the presence of
political dynasties does not merely reflect differences in ability across families. We define self-
perpetuation as a power-treatment effect, whereby holding political power for longer increases
the probability that one’s heirs attain political power in the future regardless of family
characteristics. In order to prove a causal relationship between political strength (defined as
length in office) and subsequent dynastic success, we use two instrumental variables approaches.
Our first approach uses a regression discontinuity design relying on the (presumably random)
115 116 REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES outcome of close elections as an instrument for
tenure length (on regression discontinuity, see Hahn, Todd and Van der Klaauw, 2001, and for
an application to elections, see Butler, Lee and Moretti, 2004). We find that legislators who
barely won their first reelection have a significantly higher chance of having a relative enter
Congress in the future than legislators who barely lost their first reelection. In the second
approach, we instrument for whether a legislator’s first reelection attempt is successful using the
reelection rate of fellow party legislators in the same state and year. The second instrumental
variables approach corroborates our findings. Overall, we find that holding legislative power for
more than one term doubles the probability that a politician will have a relative entering
Congress in the future. Because exogenous shocks to dynastic power have an effect on dynastic
permanence, superior fixed traits (i.e. original endowments in terms of genes, for instance)
cannot be the whole explanation for political dynasties in the Congress of the U.S. We thus
conclude that in politics, power begets power.
Lange sought to describe how the political power of local elites can lead to different
development outcomes by comparing two neighboring provinces in the Philippines with different
elite local elite structures.23 His case study showed how, competing local families in one
province and virtual monopoly of one family in another, was related to the types of industries
which flourished in these areas and later led to different development outcomes.24 He
highlighted, however, that aside from these differences, both provinces under the influence of
their respective local elites, did not differ in the effectiveness of institutional planning of their
respective LGUs since elite families were still engaged in promoting their own respective
electoral, even commercial, agenda.25 Incidentally, a study by Virola et al. found a correlation in
which provinces having lesser dynastic prevalence (proportion of local elected positions
occupied by political dynasties) scoring higher points in the recently formulated “Good
Governance Index” developed by the Philippine Statistics Authority that covers outcomes such
as education, economic performance, voter participation, crime, among others.26 These indicate
how the presence of these political dynasties and their influence affect the strength of
institutional governance in local governments.

Provinces, as the first-level of subnational administrative division, are the largest local
government units in the country. Despite the greater autonomy granted to them however,
provinces remain largely dependent on the national government for funds. Table 1 shows that
local governments today remain largely dependent on the national government for funding
through intergovernmental transfers, also known as the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA)
mandated by the Local Government Code, even though the same law empowers LGUs to collect
local taxes and find other revenue sources within their respective jurisdictions. Table 1. Average
LGU Dependency Ratio (2011-2015) LGU Type IRA Local Revenue Sources Provinces 84.75%
12.36% Cities 66.18% 31.38% Municipalities 82.65% 11.68% Source: Bureau of Local
Government Finance

Survey Questionnaire
Dear Respondents,

Good Day!

I am a student of Masters in Public Administration of CCSPC and are currently working on my

thesis entitled Political Dynasty Effect in Economic Growth, in line with this, I would like to ask
to answering this questionnaire honestly. This will enable me to gather significant information in
fulfilling my research.

It will be rest assured that whatever information I gathered will be used only for thesis purposes
and be treated with utter most confidentiality.

Your cooperation will be highly appreciated

 Part I. Respondent Profile

 Name: _____________________________

Sex: _______________________________

Age: ______________________________

Occupation: ________________________

Religion: __________________________
1. Are you a registered voter?

Yes

No

2. If yes, have you experience voting during election?

Yes

No

3. Do you think political dynasty exist in your area?

Yes

No

4. If yes, is there any development in your area during their administration?

Yes

No

5. Does political dynasty concern you in thinking of achieving economic growth?

Yes

No

6. Are you aware of the existence of a Constitutional provision against political dynasties?

Yes

No
Part II.
Instruction: Please indicate your answer by putting number  of your rating in the appropriate box.

Strongly Strongly
Political Dynasty Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree

1. Candidates should have a educational

background, atleast earned units related to

public administration

2. Areas experiencing political dynasty help

pursue long-term development projects

3. Do you believe that politics now is seem to

be new form of business

4. Do you think practice of political dynasty

attract investors

5. Inherit fame gives heuristic advantage

6. Vote-buying and other forms of “retail

cheating” or patronage-style campaigning exist

in your area

7. Forcing politicians to self-impose limits to

their stint in the seat of power has to become the

new norm.

8. Do political dynasty hinder development

9. democracies where political power can be

concentrated in a small elite class and is handed

down through family linkages, political

participation needs to be broadened

10. Landholding politicians were more likely to

engage in development expenditure than those

with clan connections.

11.  the weakness of potential countervailing

forces that would challenge political dynasties.

12. The continuing domination of particular

families in elections has in essence distorted this

political exercise to favor only a special caste of

politicians.

Fire Inspection Program of Bureau of Fire Protection in Cotabato City

 GRADUATE COLLEGE
COTABATO CITY STATE POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
COTABATO CITY

Diolanen, Marouph Ysmael M.

Rationale
Fire safety inspections should be conducted as a pre-requisite to grants of permits and/or
licenses by local governments or other government agencies . Inspections should be done at least
once a year and every time the owner, administrator or occupant shall renew his/her business
permit or permit to operate. As the country observes Fire Prevention Month, the Aboitiz-owned
Cotabato Light and Power Company (Cotabato Light) has issued safety tips for the public to help
prevent household fires during the prevailing hot weather. The fire  marshal has the
responsibility to make sure that working environment is safe in case of a fire and ensure that
building laws relative to fire protection are followed.

With the rapid urbanization and increase of population nationwide, the Bureau of Fire
Protection, Cotabato City continuously seek for innovative ways in fire prevention and disaster
management by coming up with the new approaches as it involves different  local authorities and
agencies. The local government has direct responsibility for the safety of the people, knowledge
of the situation and accompanying resource requirements, and proximity to both event and
resources. It has its emergency services department that have the capability of responding to
emergencies twenty four hours a day. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of the Philippines is
a government agency whose role is to suppress and prevent the outbreak of destructive fires,
enforce relevant laws, and provide emergency medical and rescue services. However, the BFP
faces an uphill struggle in the performance of its duties in a conflagration-prone nation such as
the Philippines. The country is saddled with aging and/or inadequately installed or constructed
infrastructure, including electrical systems, which thus pose a significant fire risk. Additionally,
the combination of two of the country’s defining characteristics extremely hot summers and
drenching monsoon seasons put the country’s inadequate systems under their own particular sort
of pressure year round. Nor does the BFP get any respite during the holiday season, either. The
Filipino’s addiction to fireworks, especially during the Christmas, constitutes a further threat to
life, livelihood, and property..

The lack of trained pre-hospital providers, modern equipment, and ambulance vehicles
accounts for the challenges and short comings to provide quality emergency medical services.
The BFP mission is to prevent and suppress destructive fires, investigate its causes, give
emergency medical and rescue services, and enforce other fire related laws with the active
involvement of the community. This prompted the researchers to study the extent of the
capability of the BFP in responding to emergencies in Cotabato City The result of the study
would somehow help determine as to what part of the operations they perform well and what part
it needs to improve.

Objective of the Study

This study aims to determine the problems encountered by the Bureau of Fire Protection in
Cotabato City specifically, it sought to answer the following questions?

1. What are fire safety measure based on the implementing rules and regulations of the fire code.

2. To identify what fire inspection programs conducted by Bureau of Fire Protection as

preventive measures.

3. Evaluation of fire inspection programs implemented by Bureau of Fire Protection.

4. What are the problems encountered by the Bureau of Fire Protection firefighters in the
Cotabato City

Theoretical Framework
The relationship between the Fire Inspection Program and Business requirements and safety is
summarized into a form of theoretical framework which stated in the Figure 1 below

  Fire Inspection Business

Program Requirement and
 
Safety
 

Figure 1: Theoretical framework

 The independent variable for this research is Fire Inspection Program. Then, the dependent
variable is Business Requirements and Safety. Independent variable is the variable that is varied
or can be manipulated by the researcher while dependent variable is the presumed effect and
consequence. That is mean dependent variable can be influenced by independent variables.

Technical Background & Review of Related Literature

 Licensed Engineer (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Sanitary and Electronic and
Communication); or Architect with at least one (1) year in the BFP service; or Graduate of any
baccalaureate degree course with at least three (3) years in the BFP service, shall have completed
Fire Arson Investigation and Inspection Course (FAIIC) or have undergone at least forty (40)
hours of relevant seminars/workshops on the Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008 and other
relevant fire safety seminars/workshops and Non-licensed and non-engineering graduate must
pass the written fire safety inspection examination conducted by the BFP. The following shall be
the main duties and responsibilities of Fire Safety Inspectors: (a) Inspect any building, structure
or facility and/or any part thereof, hazardous operations, storage facilities and transportation
vehicles of hazardous materials to ensure compliance of the Fire Code of the Philippines, this
IRR and other related laws, regulations, standards and ordinances within the area of
responsibility. (b) Assess compliance with the fire safety requirements, identify and recommend
corrective actions for violations/defects and deficiencies and inform the owner/building
administrator/occupants of such actions to comply with the provisions of the Fire Code of the
Philippines, this IRR and other related laws, regulations, standards and ordinances;  33. (c)
Testify in any judicial and quasi-judicial bodies regarding matters relating to the Fire Code of the
Philippines and this IRR, and/or the performance of his/her duties related thereto, when needed
(d). Conduct fire safety lectures, seminars/workshop and drills; and (e) Prepare necessary
documents and maintain files and/or record. During construction, renovation, modification or
alteration, the City/Municipal Fire Marshal having jurisdiction, on the basis of issued FSC, shall
inspect the premises to determine whether the plans, and specifications are being followed and
fire safety precautions are being  35 observed. He shall cause the correction of any
defects/deficiencies noted, when necessary.

Nowadays, new industry comes up while the existing ones upgrade. Whether it's a simple food
manufacturing plant to a complex petrochemical facility, risks and hazards are always in
existence. Thus, the basics of safety requirements should always be there reminding us priorities,
how to preserve assets and protect lives. Business grows as well as risks. Everything can be quite
difficult when your systems are down, assets damaged, deliveries delayed, or have intermittent
operation. Loss is our number one competitor which underlines hazards. Hazards are very
rampant, from a single human error to a disastrous natural calamity. Not to forget “Fire Hazard”
which can instantly turn your facilities, equipment, supplies, or even human lives to an end. Fire
hazards are known to exist everywhere, from a smallest residential household to a gigantic power
plant. Therefore, let's keep in mind the basics of fire safety before anything else

Survey Questionnaire
 

Dear Respondents,

Good Day!

I am a student of Masters in Public Administration of CCSPC and are currently working on my

thesis entitled Fire Inspection Program of Bureau of Fire Protection in Cotabato City, n line with
this, I would like to ask to answering this questionnaire honestly. This will enable me to gather
significant information in fulfilling my research.

It will be rest assured that whatever information I gathered will be used only for thesis purposes
and be treated with utter most confidentiality.

Your cooperation will be highly appreciated

Part I. Respondent Profile

Name: ________________________________

Sex: __________________________________

Age: _________________________________

Occupation: ____________________________

Nature of business (if any): __________________________

1. Are you aware that one of fire inspection program is grant of business permit?

Yes

No

2. Please indicate other fire inspection program by the BFP that you know?

 _____________________________________

 3. Is fire inspection program a preventive measure?

 Yes

No

4. Is BFP strict in requiring or providing sufficient fire exit in every building in the City?

Yes

No

Part II

Instruction: Please indicate your answer by putting number  of your rating in the appropriate box.

Weight Item Descriptive Rating

1 Always (A)

2 Often (O)

3 Sometimes (So)

4 Seldom (Se)

5 Never (N)

Table I. Shows the extent of the capability of the BFP in responding to emergencies along
Firefighting Operations.
 BFP Operations Ratings

1. All responding personnel wear appropriate Personal Protective

Equipment.

2. The Incident Commander (IC) coordinates with the management of the

building for initial gathering of information and initiates transfer of
command.

3. The IC conducts Damage Assessment and Need Analysis (DANA) and

reports the same to the next higher office.

4. The IC directs the conduct of fire operations by the phases of firefighting,

whenever applicable.

5. The IC declares “fire under control” when there is no probability for the
fire to escalate.

6. . Responding personnel performs overhauling until the fire is fully

extinguished.

7. The IC declares “fire out” after determination of total extinguishment.

8.  The IC directs the BFP investigators to continue the conduct of the

investigation.

9.  The responding unit returns to the station after demobilization only.

10.  The Fire Marshal, together with the firefighting unit, conducts post fire
analysis.

Table II. Presents the extent of the capability of the BFP in responding to emergencies along Fire
Safety Enforcement
 BFP Operations Ratings

1. The plan evaluator (PE), upon receipt of plans and specifications,

determines whether an onsite inspection is required and if so, prepares the
inspection order (IO)

2. The PE then presents the prepared IO together with the plans to the Chief,
Fire Safety Enforcement Section (FSES) for evaluation and signature of the
IO

3. The Chief, FSES forwards the IO, together with the plans to the
City/Municipal Fire Marshal (CMFM) for his/her approval.

4.  The PE proceeds to the site and requests acknowledgment of the IO from

any responsible person in the building, structure or facility.

5. The PE conducts an ocular inspection of the building/structure/facility.

6. The PE prepares an After Inspection Report (AIR) within 24 hours after

receipt of the IO as the basis for his/her evaluation of the submitted plans and
specifications.

7. By the issued Fire Safety Checklist (FSC) on the building plan, the PE
prepares an IO and forwards to the Chief, FSES for his signature.

8. The Chief, FSES countersigns the IO and forwards the same to the
City/Municipal Fire Marshal for approval.

9. The PE proceeds to the site and requests acknowledgment of the IO from

any responsible person in the building, structure or facility.

10.  The fire safety inspector or any BFP personnel designated or assigned to
serve the NTCV puts a corresponding signage in front of the building. The
notice bears the words “WARNING: THIS BUILDING/STRUCTURE IS A
FIRE HAZARD.”

Hollow Concrete Blocks: Ensure Quality of Construction Material

 GRADUATE COLLEGE
COTABATO CITY STATE POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
COTABATO CITY

Diolanen, Marouph Ysmael M.

Rationale
Following the recent pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte to ensure the quality of
construction materials in the market, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of
Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) is preparing to include hollow blocks in the list of products
under mandatory certification. The agency conducted a public consultation on its draft DTI
Department Administrative Order (DAO) on the New Technical Regulation concerning the
Mandatory Product Certification of Concrete Masonry Units (CMU). This was held at the 6F
Center Conference Room, Trade & Industry Building, 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City last
29 November 2019. Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) are rectangular blocks used in construction.
In the Philippines, the more popular ones are the "Hollow Blocks". The public consultation was
opened by DTI-BPS Director, Neil P. Catajay while the salient features of the draft regulation
were presented by Engr. Ariel Q. Deinla from the Standards Conformity Division (SCD) of DTI-
BPS. The draft DAO aims to strictly ensure that hollow blocks to be manufactured, distributed,
or sold in the Philippines meet the specified requirements prescribed by the DTI-BPS. The draft
DAO is one of the proposed measures of the DTI-BPS, giving prime consideration to the
Philippines’ geographical location within the Pacific Ring of Fire and with active fault lines,
making the country susceptible to earthquakes.

The Philippines concrete industry is today consuming about 400 million tonnes of concreteevery
year and it is expected, that this may reach a billion tonnes in less than a decade. "Hollow
Concrete Block” have become a regular or frequent choice today in construction activities as
these blocks offer various benefits, simplicities in their use as building elements, strength
comparable with the conventional blocks like bricks, facilities to get reinforced thereby
increasing the strength of constructed units, facility for better finish, adoptability for getting
desired architectural shapes and beauty and above all rendering economy in construction. With
these aspect under study the authors concentrated upon some case studies indicating the uses of
HCBs in the construction of beam, walls etc. to study the outcomes of these studies and have,
then based on the investigations of these case studies reviewed the various aspect related to the
uses of HCBs. The paper briefly reviews all the above points referred.

One of the basic requirements of human being to sustain in the world is shelter. After evolution
of human being, the need of shelter meant for safety, arises. In ancient time, man started taking
shelter in caves, excavated below ground level and under hanging mountain cliffs and this type
of shelter just provided safe place from environmental extremities. The concept of stability and
safety as per structural features of shelter were completely out of mind. With the development
and maturity of human mind, man began to modify the structural formation of shelter so as to
address the increasing needs and facilities which an optimum shelter design possessed. After
achieving a feat by the use of easily available material like mud in construction walls and then
the technique of burnt clay brick masonry to form structural part of shelter, there was still a long
journey is coming out for the best possible material for construction of stable and safe structural
units of shelter. The desire for search of safe and stable structural materials keeping in view the
economy of whole structure, paved way for usage of hollow concrete blocks.

  

Objective of the Study

The main objectives of this study are the following:

 To know how Concrete Hollow Block (CHB) is made.

 To know how Concrete Hollow Block (CHB) is used.

 To know the sustainability of Concrete Hollow Block (CHB).

Significance of the Study

Concrete Hollow Blocks being one of the most commonly used construction materials for
buildings. One of the major advantages of concrete hollow blocks is their high
durability. Concrete hollow blocks are compacted by high pressure and vibration, which make
the blocks very strong and able to withstand a high level of loading. They also have high fire
resistance and no salinity which reduces their maintenance cost.

 Theoretical Framework

 3.1 Concrete Hollow Block

They are made out of a mixture of Portland cement, sand, gravel and water. When the mixture is
wet it is paste-like and can be cast into the form of the block. When it dries, it hardens until it
becomes like stone. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of concrete block, hollow and solid.

In general, Hollow Block is a Type of Concrete Block Used for building internal and external
walls. Hollow concrete block saves time in building walls due to its large dimensions. Due to the
load-carrying capacity, the Hollow Block is playing an important role in the construction
industry.

Due to its inherent sustainable properties and the efforts made by members, the use of concrete
blocks will result in buildings that are resilient, safe, strong, adaptable and have a long lifespan
compared to other forms of construction.

Technical Background & Review of Related Literature

Hollow concrete block is important additions to the types of masonry units available to
the builders and its use for masonry a constant increase, some of the advantages of hollow
concrete block construction are reduce mortar consumption, light weight and greater speed
masonry work. This project is a study of construction of Hollow Concrete Block (HCB)
masonry. The emphasis in the present study is carried out by M K Moraliya to study the crack
patterns developed in the structural elements such as walls, columns constructed with HCB, to
the load carrying capacity of the HCB individually and when use in masonry work

Since the demand for the continued use of masonry has led to evaluation of reinforced
masonry, the recent research investigations and the development of improved design and
construction techniques have established the reinforced concrete masonry as a proven structural
system. Hence, the reinforced concrete masonry has become one of the new developments of the
engineered construction. Reinforced hollow unit concrete masonry is a method in which steel
reinforcement is embedded in grout within the concrete blocks such that the masonry, grout and
steel act together to resist applied forces.

In a study carried out by Mr. M.K.Maroliya, the flexural behavior of the beam made of
HCB was checked. The basic objective of the study was to find the moment carrying capacity of
reinforced concrete masonry beams. Besides this, crack patterns in beams and columns were also
studied. Four singly reinforced beams were cast using hollow concrete blocks. The grout used for
filing the cells of blocks was of proportion 1:2.5:3. Beams were tested in pure bending. Tests on
beam revealed that moment carrying capacity of beams increased with increased in percentage
tensile reinforcement. Cracks in beams initiated at middle third portion of the beam where
bending moment happens to be maximum in pure bending case.

Cracks appeared at tensile zone and progressed upward with the increase of load. Almost
all cracks appeared at mortar joints which happen to be the weakest portions of masonry beams.
During the study the constituents used had following specifications: Cement used in mortar
confirmed to IS: 269-1958. The sand used confirmed to the requirements of IS: 382-1963 The
type of steel used to reinforced masonry is same as that used in reinforced concrete, Confirming
to IS: 456-2000.

Survey Questionnaire
 
Part I. Dear Respondent

Thank you for taking time answering the following questions. This questions  are about to know
how to make, use and sustainability of hollow blocks as construction material.

 I. Respondent’s Profile

1. Age: _____________________

2. Sex: _____________________

3. Experience in Construction: _____________________

4. Occupation: ________________________

Part II. Process of Making (Check only the box)

A. Batching and Mixing:

  Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree

Batch aggregates and cement by weight.        

Mix cement and aggregates using mattock, shovel or        

mixer until it reaches homogeneous condition.

Add some water and Inhot climates, the fresh mix        

must be shaded from the sun

B. Moulding:

  Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree

Put the mixture into wooden or steel mould boxes or        

moulding machine

Demould blocks immediately after compaction.        

C. Curing and Storing:

  Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree

Cover demoulded blocks with plastic sheets for        

24hrs

Keep the concrete blocks moist by keeping under        

water in tanks or by regularly spraying with water
for 7 days

Do not expose to direct sun light; keep the blocks in        

a dry and covered area.

Store for 2 weeks before usage.        

Part III. Own perception toward concrete blocks

  Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree

Using concrete blocks in production significantly        

reduces cost in various ways and can save 25% than
using bricks

Made from waste: They do not harm or deplete        

nature for being made.

Concrete blocks have enough resistance for        

earthquakes

For those residing in industrial areas  that are near        

busy areas, some sort of sound proofing can be a
bliss.

Easier and faster that requires less labor cost than        

brick

There is saving in construction mortal because the        

number of joints are reduced.

Can be prepared in manner that the vertical joints        

can be straggered automatically

Concrete bldg blocks can often be completed in less        

time than a brick structure, because they are bigger
in size.

Natural color of concrete blocks is grey in color and        

sometimes can be a problem with aesthetic

Have less resistance as compared to brick, so they        

can be burnt easily

Weak insulation        

Bricks can last for a longer time than concrete        

blocks

References
[1] H. S. Sureshchandra, G. Sarangapani, and B. G. Naresh Kumar,2014 “Experimental
Investigation on the Effect of Replacement of Sand by Quarry Dust in Hollow Concrete Block
for Different Mix Proportions”International Journal of Environmental Science and Development,
Vol. 5, No. 1.

[2] Ernesto S. Fortes, Guilherme A. Parsekian and Fernando S. Fonseca, A.M.ASCE,

2014“Relationship between the Compressive Strength of Concrete Masonry and the
Compressive Strength of Concrete Masonry Units” American Society of Civil Engineers.

[3] Liang Huang,Lejia Liao,Libo Yan, S.M.ASCE and Hongwei Yi,2014 “Compressive Strength
of Double H Concrete Block Masonry Prisms” American Society of Civil Engineers.

 [4] K. S. Al-Jabri, A. W. Hago, R.Taha, A. S. Alnuaimi and A. H. AlSaidy,2009 “Strength and

Insulating Properties of Building Blocks Made from Waste Materials” JOURNAL OF MATE

RIALS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING.

[5] Denise S. Sanchez and Lisa R. Feldman, 2015“Effects of Transverse Bar Spacing on Bond of
Spliced Reinforcing Bars in Fully Grouted Concrete Block Masonry”

[6] T. Kaosol, 2010“Reuse concrete waste as crushed stone for hollow concrete masonry units,”
in Proc. The 3rd Technology and Innovation for sustainable development international
conference (TISD2010), Faculty of engineering, Khon Kaen University, Thailand,.

[7] M K Maroliya,2012 “Load Carrying Capacity Of Hollow Concrete Block Masonry Wall”
International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications.