For Loida Viriña, writing is predictive in the blood. She believes inheriting this gift from her father, a brother and a sister before her, and an uncle. Like her sister, Lina Flor, Viriña grew up in Caloocan City. She graduated from the University of Sto. Tomas, cum laude, with a degree in Journalism. Widowed quite early on, she marched back to the university, this time, to teach with a passion.

For an unbroken stint of forty years, Viriña’s imagination also blazed, scripting well-loved stories for the radio, television, and the silver screen. Her comedy series “Si Tatang Kasi” won the Citizen’s Council for Mass Media (CAT) Awards, in 1969 and in 1971 both. Soap or sitcom—it was no struggle for her to please television’s million viewers; whatever the task, Viriña wrote with obvious flair and ease. Eager viewers tuned in nightly to such hits as Baltic & Co., Tang-tarang-tang, Gulong ng Palad, and Flordeluna. Viriña gave much in assuring the popular success of these hits.

A respected figure in the city government of Caloocan, she was chief of its Tourism Office and head of Cultural Affairs for many years. And since most writers know no retirement, Viriña simply trooped on to be creative consultant to some of the country’s most recent primetime hits. Further credits include “Oki-Doki-Doc,” “Kaya Ni Mister, Kaya Ni Misis,” and “Home Along the Riles.”