"I am the half-sibling of the Philippine President"…Philippines in an uproar over woman’s claim of drunken disturbance on plane

Claims to Be the Daughter of Former President and Australian Model

An Australian woman has been charged with causing a disturbance due to alcohol intoxication on an aircraft, and she claims to be the daughter of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and the half-sister of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

On the 10th (local time), Anelysa Josepa Kor (right), accused of causing a disturbance on board, and her husband James Alexander Kor are entering the Sydney court in Australia. Josepa Kor claims to be the daughter of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and the half-sister of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. AP Yonhap News Photo by AP

On the 11th (local time), Australian daily The Australian reported that Annelisa Josefa Coe (53) appeared in a Sydney court the previous day with her husband James Alexander Coe (45), promising not to consume alcohol on aircraft or at airports, paid a bail of 20,000 Australian dollars (approximately 18.1 million KRW), and had their passports returned.

On the 28th of last month, they boarded a Jetstar flight, a low-cost carrier (LCC) in Australia, from Hobart to Sydney, drank alcohol they had prepared in advance, and assaulted other passengers while intoxicated. They were arrested at Sydney Airport and charged with causing a disturbance on the aircraft.

The reason this incident attracted attention is that Josefa, who was arrested, claimed to be the daughter of former Philippine President Marcos and the half-sister of current Philippine President Marcos Jr.

Former President Marcos, who ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, was rumored to have had an affair in the 1970s with Australian-born model Evelyn Hegishi, who was 19 at the time. Josefa claims to be the daughter born from that relationship. Additionally, the name "Josefa" is also the name of former President Marcos's mother. However, Philippine President Marcos Jr. has denied Josefa's claims as false.

Josefa currently works as an interior designer and photographer on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The trial for Josefa and her husband regarding this incident is scheduled to be held again on the 24th of next month.