MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Ruy Rondain, counsel for former partylist representative Zaldy Co, on Wednesday rejected as false and misleading the claims by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla that Co had amassed billions of pesos in bitcoin abroad and maintained multiple basement levels in his Forbes Park residence to store cash. In a statement, Rondain said Remulla’s allegation that Co held as much as P5 billion worth of bitcoin overseas was “a complete fabrication,” and challenged the interior secretary to identify the supposed associate who allegedly provided the information. “For the sake of credibility, Rep. Co challenges Sec.[retary] Remulla to name his alleged ‘associate’ who gave him that information,” Rondain said, adding that Remulla could keep any bitcoin he could find registered in Co’s name, in whatever amount. Rondain also dismissed Remulla’s claim that Co’s Forbes Park home had “four to five basement levels,” calling it another fabrication unsupported by either the existing structure or approved construction plans. He said the house was designed with a split-type basement used strictly for vehicle parking, a design he explained was driven by Forbes Park village rules that limit the allowable building area relative to the size of the lot. “The split-tier basement is intended only to maximize the house’s footprint,” Rondain said, stressing that it had nothing to do with storing unaccounted cash. The lawyer likewise rejected speculation that the basement design was meant to safeguard money because “fire moves upward,” saying such claims were not grounded in fact. “The public deserves facts, not misinformation,” Rondain said, adding that false narratives had no place in discussions on public issues.