15 years working in health care<\/a> as a respiratory therapist, a profession built around assessing patients, responding to complex needs and working closely with families and multidisciplinary care teams. Her campaign describes that experience as shaping the way she approaches advocacy \u2014 by listening first, showing compassion and recognizing when people need additional support.<\/p>\nThat same approach now forms part of the perspective she wants to bring to Surrey schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want our schools to be places where every child feels they belong, where their individual needs are recognized, and where we are truly setting them up for success in school and in life,\u201d Gilera says in her official candidate statement.<\/p>\n
From Marikina to Surrey<\/p>\n
Gilera was born and raised in Marikina, Philippines, before immigrating to Canada with her family at age 11. She later built her career and family life in British Columbia and is now raising two children in Surrey with her husband.<\/p>\n
Her Filipino roots remain an important part of her public identity.<\/p>\n
Gilera has spoken about the values of family, education, hard work, and community as influences on her life and has said she hopes her candidacy can encourage stronger Filipino-Canadian participation in civic affairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Filipino community has contributed so much to Surrey, and I would be honoured to represent our community and bring our voices and perspectives to the table, while serving all students and families across Surrey,\u201d she said in an earlier community profile.<\/p>\n
A parent inside the school community<\/p>\n
Gilera\u2019s connection to education also extends beyond being a parent.<\/p>\n
She serves on the Parish Education Committee of Star of the Sea School in Surrey, where her responsibilities have included parent participation. The committee helps oversee school policy, finances, staffing and general school operations alongside the pastor and principal.<\/p>\n
Her family has also been actively involved in the school and parish community through volunteer work and school activities.<\/p>\n
That involvement has given Gilera direct exposure to the everyday concerns of parents \u2013\u00a0 from classroom resources and school safety to whether students with different learning and support needs are receiving appropriate assistance.<\/p>\n
Making room for Surrey\u2019s growth<\/p>\n
One of Gilera\u2019s central campaign issues is school capacity.<\/p>\n
Surrey continues to grow rapidly, and Gilera wants school infrastructure and classroom availability to keep pace with that growth rather than leave students and families dealing with overcrowding or inadequate space.<\/p>\n
Her campaign pairs that concern with a call for more resources to reach classrooms directly, where teachers and students can feel their impact.<\/p>\n
She has also placed particular emphasis on children with special needs, saying schools should recognize the individual needs of students and ensure they have appropriate resources and opportunities to participate and succeed.<\/p>\n
For Gilera, inclusion means more than having children physically present in a classroom. Her campaign emphasizes creating school environments where students feel safe, valued, and supported according to their individual circumstances.<\/p>\n
Health-care experience brought to education<\/p>\n
Gilera\u2019s background as a respiratory therapist also gives her experience working in environments where safety, communication and teamwork are critical.<\/p>\n
Her professional history includes respiratory therapy, patient education, and long-term respiratory support. She has also taken on clinical training and mentorship responsibilities involving other health-care professionals.<\/p>\n
Before entering respiratory care, Gilera worked in airport operations at Vancouver International Airport, where her responsibilities included supervising passenger and gate operations. She later pursued respiratory-care studies at Seattle Central Community College after earlier studies in travel and tourism at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.<\/p>\n
Across those different roles, Gilera has described listening, communication and responsible decision-making as skills she wants to carry into school governance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a mom and someone who has spent more than 15 years caring for people in health care, I know how important it is to listen, show compassion, and advocate for those who need support,\u201d she says in her candidate statement.<\/p>\n
Filipino-Canadian voices in the school board race<\/p>\n
Gilera is one of two Filipino-Canadian women on the SURREY NOW school board slate, alongside family physician Dr. Michelle Ceniza.<\/p>\n
SURREY NOW<\/a> identifies Gilera as a respiratory therapist and youth advocate, while Ceniza is presented as a family physician and parent advocate. The organization is fielding six candidates for the six available trustee positions.<\/p>\nGilera and Ceniza have also participated in Filipino community events around Surrey\u2019s 2026 election, including a July meet-and-greet that brought together Filipino candidates and community members to discuss civic participation and local issues.<\/p>\n
For Gilera, however, her campaign remains focused on students across Surrey regardless of background.<\/p>\n
Her message is rooted in the perspective of a mother and health-care professional who believes children should have access to the space, safety, classroom resources and individualized support they need to succeed.<\/p>\n
Surrey residents will vote on Saturday, October 17, with advance voting scheduled for October 7, 10, 14 and 15.<\/p>\n
For Gilera, the school board race is an extension of the work she has already spent years doing \u2013 caring for people, listening to families and advocating for those who need additional support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ASM, Philippine Canadian InquirerOctober 10, 2026 Photo courtesy: City of Surrey SURREY, British Columbia \u2014 After more than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":927587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,255609,318607,10758,87674,318643,318644],"class_list":["post-927586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-election-2026","tag-filipino-canadian-candidate","tag-headline","tag-surrey","tag-surrey-now-candidate","tag-vanessa-gilera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=927586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/927587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=927586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=927586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=927586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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