MEMBER

Born in Taal, Batangas, Tess graduated with a B.S. Business Economics at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and was working on her masteral thesis about the urban poor when she was offered a full Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) scholarship to pursue graduate studies. Upon completing an M.A. in Public Administration at Carleton University, she returned to the Philippines and was employed at the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Canadian Embassy.

During weekends, she volunteered with a Christian mission organization in the squatter areas in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc, Manila. After immigrating to Canada, she has worked as a federal public servant at the Human Resources Development Canada (or HRDC, now Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)), CIDA (now, Global Affairs Canada), and Natural Resources Canada. She retired from the public service in September 2026. She continues to volunteer with ministries for the homeless including with the Ottawa Mission and the Ottawa InnerCity Ministries. With her new involvement with the PCC, she hopes to reach Filipino newcomers to Canada experiencing homelessness and other challenges to making a better life in Canada.