Crude oil prices earlier rose to over $145 a barrel in the international market.
On Tinian, regular gas is sold at $5.39 a gallon; on Rota, $5.60; on Guam, $4.92.
With the increase in gas prices, the cost of electricity will also shoot up, according to residents who raced against time to fill their tanks with gas from Shell stations which was still selling gasoline at $4.80 a gallon yesterday.
Mobil Oil Mariana Islands implemented the 25-cent hike without prior public announcement.
“It’s horrible,” said Rep. Rosemond B. Santos, R-Saipan, about the recent gas price hikes.
She said it now costs over a $100 to fill her vehicle’s gas tank.
While the government cannot do anything to bring down gas prices here, she said consumers can do something to ease their burden.
“We should start with ourselves. Like changing our light bulbs to energy efficient ones, cutting back on our energy consumption, among other things,” she said.
Deborah Fleming whose family owns the Fleming Hotel on Tinian said people on their island are facing more economic challenges than those on Saipan.
She said the high cost of fuel has increased the prices of food, toiletries and other products imported to their island.
The cash-strapped CNMO government is also reeling from the impact of high gas prices even after disposing some of its old cars that consumed a lot of fuel.
Majority of government vehicles are now federally owned and use federal funds for their gasoline expenses.
Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said the constant rise in fuel prices is a major concern for the administration.
“It contributes to inflationary pressure. Some of these costs will have to be passed on to consumers, especially on their staples,” Reyes told Variety.
He said the immediate problem is the oil price hike’s impact on shipping costs.
With Saipan no longer able to ship garment products in big volumes to the U.S., there’s been a big increase in the shipping fuel surcharge which are then added to products and services sold to consumers in the commonwealth, he said.
Businesses and residents will also have to keep up with the anticipated increase in their power costs.
Reyes said the administration is working on introducing alternative sources of energy on the islands.
