Cristina P. Parel
Dr. Cristina P. Parel is a renowned statistician and educator in the country who served as the seventh chairperson of the Philippine Social Science Council in 1974. In 1966, she became the first female president of the Philippine Statistical Association, Inc., and regained the presidential role in 1969.[1] She was also one of the 14 incorporators of the University of the Philippines Diliman Mathematics Foundation, Inc. to its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1989.[2] Alongside this, she became the editor of The Philippine Statistician, the official scientific journal of the Philippine Statistical Association, Inc.[3]
Being a professor of statistics at the University of the Philippines, Dr. Parel became the Dean of the Statistical Center of the said university where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degree in statistics. She finished her doctorate at the University of Michigan in 1958 with her dissertation A Matrix Derivation of Generalized Least Squares Linear Regression with All Variables Subject to Error as supervised by Paul Dwyer.[4]
Dr. Parel’s early publications way back in the late 1950s to 1960s focused on the introduction to statistical methods, and educational development of the study and teaching of mathematics at the secondary level. She expanded her works in the 1970s with her publications centered on statistical methodologies including sampling design and procedures, and data analysis and interpretation applied in social surveys. A few of her books were published under the Philippine Social Science Council’s Social Survey Series. Through her writings, including the most well-known being her book, Introduction to Statistical Methods: With Applications, Dr. Parel dedicated her knowledge to advancing the study of statistics in the nation.[5]
These points being made, Dr. Parel was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) in September 2002 during their Golden Jubilee Celebration. Along with other statisticians, Drs. Tito A. Mijares, Mercedes B. Concepcion, Ruben F. Trinidad, and Corazon R. Buenaventura, Dr. Parel received recognition for their constant work in upholding good statistical work that was well-known and recognized by the Philippine statistical community.[6] Dr. Tito Mijares, Enrique Virata, Domingo Alonzo, Burton Oate, and Cristina Parel were among the five statisticians who received the designation of Pillars of the Philippine Statistical System from the Statistical Research and Training Center on the same occasion.[7]
[1] Brief Historical Background. (n.d.). Philippine Statistical Association, Inc.
[3] The Philippine Statistician 28(3-4). (1979). Philippine Statistical Association, Inc.
[4] University of Michigan Board of Regents. (1948). Proceedings of the Board of Regents, 271.
[7] Editorial Note. (2003). The Philippine Statistician, 52(1-4).
