Titas of Philippine Politics: In Snapshots [Multiple Pairs]

Who's the Real Loren Legarda?

Loren had to learn the rules of the trade - The ins and outs of the institution, the right people to talk to, the rules that can be bent, the strings that need to be pulled...

Soon, she knew them all like the back of her hand.

Whatever Loren wanted, Loren got. Sure, she made a whole load of enemies along the way, but that goes along with the territory, doesn't it? 

"No one gets to be on top being everyone's friend." she's always said.

Yet no one knows the Loren behind the closed doors of her home.

No one knew that first thing after heading home, she headed straight to the full-length mirror. As if on cue, she pointed out everything wrong with her appearance and her brain began its monologue of pointing out each and every insecurity inside her, from the trivial to the downright irrational.

You are the worst.

You're a bad mother.

You're ugly.

You are the dumbest person I've come across.

You're a mistake and you should've never been born.

No one will ever love you.

It made complete sense in her head. I mean, they're all true.

In their place, Loren built walls, and their names are denial, deception and manipulation.

The walls did its job well. It protected her from the criticisms hurled at her direction due to her many bad decisions as a senator and in her personal life.

Because admitting a mistake meant admitting to be a failure, and being a failure was the last thing Loren wanted.

The following day, she crafted the image of polish and professionalism. Classic wardrobe staples, all hair strands in place, a staccato speech pattern honed by two decades in broadcasting before jumping the political shark zone, and of course her trusty pashmina.

No one would ever know that three hours before, she woke up crying on her bedroom floor, her eyeliner running and her usually immaculate hair disheveled and all over the place.