By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
UNLIKE in two previous price hikes, residents in the CNMI were caught unprepared on Friday, March 13, 2026, by a historic 40-cent increase in gasoline and a 70-cent increase in diesel prices as the war in the Middle East continues to escalate.
Some motorists on the road around 7 p.m. Friday took pictures of Mobil Oil signage showing the new prices and shared them via WhatsApp. The image of soaring fuel prices spread across the island like wildfire, with some residents at home commenting in disbelief: “Can anybody verify this, please?”
Just three days after a 35-cent increase in gasoline prices and an 80-cent increase in diesel, Mobil Oil Marianas raised the regular gasoline price to $6.36 a gallon from $5.96; the Supreme gasoline price to $6.81 a gallon from $6.41; and the diesel price to $8.28 a gallon from $7.58. Shell Marianas has followed suit.
On Tinian, gasoline was $8.49 a gallon and diesel $9.98, while on Rota, gasoline was $6.99 a gallon and diesel $9.42 as of Sunday morning.
According to Rep. Vincent “Kobre” Aldan, this situation is a wake-up call to accelerate efforts to shift to renewable energy as an economic necessity. The chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure said the impact is especially serious in the CNMI, where fuel is not only used in vehicles but is “embedded in the economy.” It is used to generate electricity, which, in turn, is used to pump water.
“Transitioning to renewable energy is therefore not only an environmental goal but also critical to economic survival,” Aldan said.
“What happens in the Middle East does not stay in the Middle East. It reaches global oil markets, Asian fuel hubs, international shipping networks, and ultimately the CNMI,” he added.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
