He received his master's degree in Religious Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, in 1992, with the thesis "A Proposed Basic Catechetical Formation Program for the Deaf."

In 2004, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Organization Development (OD) at the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute (SAIDI), Antipolo, with his dissertation "An OD Intervention in Evolving the Desired Organizational Culture of the Episcopal Commissions of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

"[3] Garcera's first assignment after his presbyteral ordination was being the assistant parish priest at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Naga City, then, as vice rector of the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Penafrancia from 1991 to 1992.

He was chosen to chair the Congress Program Committee for the Asian Mission Congress in Thailand from January to October 2006 and became the member of the Supreme Committee of Pontifical Missionary Societies, Rome from 2005 to 2010 [4] On April 4, 2007, he was appointed third Bishop of Daet by Pope Benedict XVI after the resignation of his predecessor, Benjamin J. Almoneda, was approved.

[5] On February 2, 2017, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Ramon Arguelles, who had led the archdiocese for 13 years, and appointed Garcera as his successor.