MELY PALOMA TAGASA, best known for her portrayal of of the character Miss Tapia in IBC-13’s Iskul Bukol situational comedy series passed away early Saturday morning. She was 82.

“At 12:26 a.m., our dearly beloved Miss Tapia has joined our Creator. The gates of heaven open for her. We love you very much, Ma!” said Gina Marissa Tagasa, one of Ms. Tagasa’s daughters, in a Facebook post.

On March 22, Gina Tagasa likewise posted on Facebook that her mother had been “weaned off her respirator” and was still in coma a week after suffering a massive stroke.

“It was a tough and painful decision to make since she has been quite dependent on this machine,” she wrote before adding, “We continue to monitor her condition — her vital signs fluctuate every hour so I can’t say everything is OK.”

Ms. Tagasa’s role as the strict teacher in Iskul Bukol’s Wanbol University — a role which she played for 15 years — made her an icon of pop culture at the time alongside Victor Ungasis played by Marvic Valentin “Vic” Sotto and the Escalera brothers played by Vicente “Tito” Sotto III (now a senator) and Jose Maria “Joey” de Leon.

The series ran from 1977-1990 and spawned several spin-offs — Back to Iskul Bukol (1999), Iskul Bukol (2011, TV5’s remake) — and films, Iskul Bukol the Movie (1977), Iskul Bukol Freshmen (1980), The Best of Iskul Bukol: The Movie (1987), and Iskul Bukol 20 Years After (Ungasis and Escaleras Adventure) which premiered in 2008.

Her last film project was Sundo (2009), a horror film directed by Topel Lee. She has 70 film and TV credits to her name, according to IMDB.com.

But beyond portraying Miss Tapia, Ms. Tagasa also a well-respected screenwriter. Among many others, she wrote three Mario O’ Hara films: Kastilyong Buhangin (1980), To Mama With Love (1983), and Uhaw sa Pag-ibig (1984). Ms. Tagasa also wrote the radio-play which eventually became Mr. O’Hara’s Insiang (1976).

Ms. Tagasa also served as dubbing director for many Korean series aired on GMA as well as films including Patient X (2009) by Yam Laranas and I.T.A.L.Y (I Trust and Love you) a 2008 film by Mark A. Reyes V.

“To our beloved teacher on and off the screen. I will miss you. May you rest in the bosom of our Lord. I love you!” Vic Sotto said in a Twitter post.

“RIP Mely Tagasa. Most folks remember her for her comic performances; I remember her for some unforgettable scripts: Uhaw na Pagibig, Kastilyong Buhangin, Insiang,” author and BusinessWorld’s film critic Noel Vera, said in a Facebook post. — Zsarlene B. Chua

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