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Allele frequency distributions at the short tandem repeat (STR) loci HUMVWA, HUMFES, HUMF13A01 and of the variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) locus D1S80 were determined in a Filipino population from Metro Manila (103 individuals) by use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The exact test demonstrated that all four loci had no deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) with the only reservation that the exact test p-value for F13A01 is weak. The discriminating power is 0.82 for D1S80, and the expected exclusion chance is 0.85 for F13A01, 0.83 for FES, and 0.93 for VWA. The observed heterozygosity rates are 0.63 for D1S80, 0.66 for F13A01, 0.67 for FES, and 0.80 for VWA. The exact test for independance between all loci gave a p-value of 0.0195. This is the first time that Filipino population data of DNA loci of forensic importance are reported.

Serum samples of the three tribal Negrito populations in the Philippine Islands (127 from Zambales, 87 from Bataan, and 93 from Agusan) were tested for Glm(1,2,3 and 17), and G3m(5,6,11,13,14,15,16, and 21), and Km(1). The GMpatterm of the Negritos is characterized by three haplotypes, Gm1,17;21, Gm1,2,17;21, and Gm1,3;5,11,13,14, which is also characteristic of Mongoloid-related populations, especially with high incidence of the latter haplotype. They also have the haplotype, Gm1,17;5,13,14, prevalent in Africa, New Guinea, and northern Australia, suggesting an ancient link between the Negritos and the New Guinean-Australian group. Two unusual samples of G3m(15) positive without G3m(16) observed in Zambales Negritos suggest the presence of Gm1,17;5,11,13,14,15 haplotype in the population. This appears to be unique to Zambales Negritos and the first such samples to be found.

Electrophoretic surveys of red cell enzyme and serum protein systems representing 21 genetic loci were carried out on 129 blood samples of the Negritos of Pampanga, Central Luzon, the Philippines. Nine (out of 16) red cell enzyme loci and four (out of five) serum protein loci showed polymorphic variation. Low frequencies of ACP 1A, GPTs1, ESD2, and Hp1, and a markedly high frequency of PGM12 were contrasted to those in non-Negrito Filipinos. Variant ESD phenotypes with a slowly migrating isozyme occurred in high frequency. The new allele designated as ESD3Negrito (ESD3N) had a frequency of .10 +/- .019. In AK, a variant phenotype indistinguishable from AK 2-1 was observed in 14% of the sample. In the Gc system, a fast migrating variant was discovered in high frequency which was distinct from Gc Ab and Gc J. The variant allele, denoted GcNegrito (GcN), had a frequency of .21 +/- .025. A relatively high degree of allelic diversity in the Negrito sample was also suggested by the average heterozygosity for 21 loci screened (.165), which is compared to that of the Japanese population (.140).