You can update the value of a TV like this:
$page = $modx->getObject('modResource', 123);
if (!$page->setTVValue('bio', 'This is my new bio...')) {
$modx->log(xPDO::LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, 'There was a problem saving your TV...');
}
the documentation for it is here: http://rtfm.modx.com/revolution/2.x/making-sites-with-modx/customizing-content/template-variables/accessing-template-variable-values-via-the-api