[2] He finished his primary and secondary education at the De La Salle College in Manila and later took preparatory courses at the Institut Minerva, a vocational school in Zürich, Switzerland.

[1] Tinio was known to have a keen interest in antiquities and furniture, he began his career as an antiquarian by writing articles for the Filipino Heritage series under the directorship of Philippine art critic Alfredo Roces on the recommendation of anthropologist Robert Fox in 1977.

During his term, he primarily conceptualized the Casa Manila, a museum in Intramuros depicting colonial lifestyle during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, based on the 1850s San Nicolas house that was once located within the area.

[4] Prior to his death in 2019, Tinio served as the curator and consultant for the ecclesiastical collection of the colonial silver and furniture of the IA presently displayed at the Museo de Intramuros.

He also served as the main curator for the Museo de Malacañang (present-day the Presidential Museum and Library) and helped in the redecoration of the halls based on architectural research from the National Archives of the Philippines.