Torres: Gas prices hurting the poor • Legislator wants AGO to probe oil companies

Despite fluctuating gasoline prices world-wide, with significant drop in July, gas prices in the CNMI have remained at a record high for the past four months and showed no signs of going down, according to a lawmaker.

Rep. Stanley T. Torres, who has long maintained that Mobil and Shell are “bleeding poor people at the gas pumps,” said in a statement that “when I buy gas, I don’t want a sandwich. If I buy a sandwich, I will buy [one],’ in apparent reference to marketing promotions being offered by these two oil firms on the islands.

“These expensive giveaways are further proof that the gas stations are making so much money, they can give away lunches. Where else can you get food and drinks for putting $12 of gas in your car,” he asked.

Noting that Saipan residents pay 30 cents more for a gallon of gasoline than those on neighboring Guam, Mr. Torres said he has yet to see any justification for the high cost.

“Our government buys the same gas as we do but only $1 per gallon, so obviously there are huge profits,” he added.

He stressed that since the gas companies refuse to lower their prices even when the wholesale price drops, legal action is the only recourse. “I encourage the Attorney General’s Office to do everything possible to bring relief to our suffering people. Gasoline is a necessity in our life and our people are being hurt the most,” said Mr. Torres.

The Saipan representative wrote a letter last week to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio appealing to step up efforts to force oil companies to cut prices here.

“I guarantee you that the oil companies will fight any legal action with all the muscle they can muster because they have deep pockets as a result of the excess profits they have accumulated over the years,” Mr. Torres wrote.

“Please, keep up the pressure and do not relent,” he asked the governor. “It will take sustained effort to bring about change, but the end and the result will be worth it as millions of dollars are at stake.”

As to allegations of price-fixing, Mr. Torres pointed to the obvious, citing the same pump prices in all gas stations on the islands.

“Just look at their signs. Mobil and Shell
always have the same price. Stores sell Spam at different prices but gasoline here is always the same no matter where you go,” he said.