BGN Deputy Head Sony Sonjaya said on Monday that the rumors stemmed from banners announcing future kitchens — formally known as Nutritional Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) — appearing at some sites before physical construction began.
"We are confident there are no fake SPPGs. The rumors likely spread because some locations had banners but no visible activity," Sonjaya explained.
He acknowledged that some registered kitchen sites on BGN's partner platform showed no progress for weeks or even months. This, he noted, has discouraged serious partners from joining, as the system appeared full.
Sonjaya underlined that each kitchen must go through 10 strict verification stages, including registration, surveys, eligibility checks, and the creation of a virtual account — without which no funds can be disbursed.
Budget disbursement is also tightly controlled. Funds may only be accessed if proposed by a foundation (as executor) and approved by the kitchen head, based on actual needs and market prices.
"If an SPPG has no head or person-in-charge from a foundation, it cannot open a virtual account or receive funds. That means a fake SPPG is not possible," Sonjaya said.
To resolve stalled proposals, BGN is resetting entries with no progress after 20 days, opening a WhatsApp complaints channel, and holding meetings with partners in 16 cities.
Earlier, lawmaker Sahidin had raised concerns that as many as 5,000 of 8,000 registered SPPGs had unclear status, urging the agency to strengthen monitoring.
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Translator: Lintang, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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