BY REGINA BENGCO

PUBLIC satisfaction with the way the Arroyo administration has been handling the hunger problem continued to decline even if the number of Filipino families experiencing hunger went down in the first quarter of the year, the March 28-31 survey of the Social Weather Stations showed.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the lower incidence of hunger indicates that government’s programs have improved the quality of life of Filipinos despite the increases in the prices of commodities.

The SWS survey, which had 1,200 respondents, found 27 percent satisfied and 53 percent dissatisfied with government in ensuring that no family will be hungry, for a net satisfaction rating of -26.

The Arroyo government’s net rating last December was -22.

SWS said the public has mostly been dissatisfied with how government deals with the hunger problem since it included the issue in its polls in August 2005.

Back then, the Arroyo government’s net satisfaction rating was a low -31, and declined even further at -34 in March 2006.

SWS said the percentage of families experiencing involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months dropped to 15.7 percent from 16.2 percent in December 2007.

However, the polling firm said the percentage is still four points above the 12 percent average percentage of hunger in the past 40 quarterly surveys.

Hunger declined in all areas, except Luzon where it rose by two percentage points (from 14 percent in December to 16 percent in March).

It fell by three points in Metro Manila (from 19 to 15.7 percent), two points the Visayas (from 14.3 to 12.3 percent), and by two points in Mindanao (from 20.3 to 18 percent).

"Moderate Hunger," referring to those who experienced it "Only Once" or "A Few Times" in the last three months, declined from 12.9 percent in December to 12.5 percent in March.