BARANGAY ADDITION HILLS, MANDALUYONG CITY – It’s a historical moment in the country’s electoral history that also turned into a mammoth fiesta for local candidates here who, in defiance of election rules, hang columns of posters and tarpaulins outside the Andres Bonifacio Integrated School.

After all, about 27,000 voters were expected to cast their ballot at the school

Yet even as the official campaign period lapsed last Saturday, on the street leading to the school’s entrance gates, candidates for mayor and Congress in Mandaluyong City laid out lines of “banderitas” featuring their names and faces.

Interestingly, the flashy ‘banderitas’ can only be seen on the street where the school is located.  A resident said the campaign materials were displayed only last Saturday. This has always been the practice of candidates in Mandaluyong, the resident said.

Meanwhile, the street vendors, mostly children, lost no time to partake of the “fiesta” atmosphere and came ready with snacks, fruits, and drinks for sale.

— PCIJ, May 2010