LESS than a month after the last price hike, Mobil Oil Marianas and Shell Marianas have increased their prices by 10 cents.
At Mobil, the regular gas price went up to $4.829 a gallon from $4.729 a gallon; the premium gas price increased to $5.279 a gallon from $5.179 a gallon; and diesel is now $4.939 a gallon from $4.78 a gallon.
Shell Marianas has followed suit.
A motorist interviewed by Variety called the price hike “so ridiculous. Why did they do that? Why did they raise the gas prices when the minimum wage and people’s wages remain the same?” Veisinia Peteru told Variety.
“It really costs a lot,” she added. “Our money just comes from one door and goes out the other door. I hope that there will be something to control the price of the gas so that it can help us. It makes us feel like we don’t want to go here or over there because of the gas situation.”
Ciara Ada, another motorist, said, “I am concerned about the rising gas prices and the ripple effect they will have on our economy. Not only will our utility bills rise, but also our food prices, and those are only the first dominoes. Everyone will be affected, from small to big businesses. And there are many other factors we may not be able to foresee.”
The new regular gas price of $4.829 a gallon is the highest on island since the price rose to $4.90 per gallon following Super Typhoon Yutu in October 2018.
In March 2020, amid the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the price of regular gas per gallon went down to $3.63.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that “oil prices rose above $75 a barrel as OPEC and a Russia-led group of producers met to weigh surging demand from the industrialized world — and delayed a decision about what to do about it.”
According to the Journal, “Demand growth from the developed world, which for years has stagnated, is on a tear as it emerges furiously from Covid-19 lockdowns…. Accelerating vaccination drives in the U.S. and Europe are boosting global economic activity — and by extension, demand for oil. OPEC data showed markets needed two million barrels a day of extra oil this year.”
The Shell gas station in Sadog Tasi displays the new fuel prices on Sunday.
