JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Sudaryono has defended spending nearly Rp200 million (about US$12,000) on advertisements across Meta platforms, saying he used personal funds to promote information about the government’s Free Meals (MBG) program.

The clarification followed public scrutiny of advertising data associated with Sudaryono’s name in the Meta Ads Library. Reports based on the platform’s transparency records placed the expenditure at Rp199,014,038 between June 15 and September 12, 2026.

“What is wrong with that? I boosted the content using my own money, not government funds,” Sudaryono said through his Instagram account, @dardardar_30, on Friday, September 25.

Sudaryono acknowledged paying to expand the reach of social media posts, including content about the MBG program.

He said the promotion aimed to circulate positive information about the program amid extensive criticism and competing narratives online.

He argued that social media users could portray people and institutions negatively even when they had performed their duties properly.

Sudaryono described some of that content as disinformation, defamation and expressions of hatred.

His statement represents a personal declaration about the source of the money. The advertising records and publicly available reports do not independently verify if all payments came from his personal account.

However, the Meta data alone also provides no evidence that the National Nutrition Agency or the state budget financed the advertisements.

The reported Rp199 million figure covers spending associated with the advertiser over a defined period, rather than a single advertisement.

Publicly circulated data indicated that the advertisements reached users in several provinces, with the largest reported spending concentrated in West Java, Central Java and East Java.

Some promoted posts addressed the MBG program’s supply chain and food-service kitchens. Other content discussed the government’s management of the national nutrition initiative.

Meta’s Ad Library allows the public to examine active advertisements and archived advertisements about political or social issues.

For such advertisements, the platform provides information that may include delivery dates, spending ranges and the regions where audiences viewed them.

The data, however, should not automatically be treated as proof of improper financing. Determining the original funding source would require supporting payment records or an official audit.

Sudaryono has led the BGN since President Prabowo Subianto appointed him on July 22, 2026. The BGN describes MBG as a government priority intended to improve nutrition while supporting local economic activity.

The controversy highlights broader questions about the distinction between a public official’s personal political communication and an agency’s official public-information campaign.

Sudaryono maintains that he did not violate any budgetary rules because he paid for the promotion himself. As of publication, no competent authority had announced an investigation or found that the spending violated state-finance rules.