Stop with the political games!

“It’s not poor management (at CUC). It’s worldwide events and the reality of operating a remote utility in the year 2001. The CUC has never passed higher prices to its customers because no board members or legislators or governors ever want to hurt the people. We want to tell customers the truth. It hurts less to plan and implement now, than to pay for the cost of ignorance and a crisis later.”

-Tim Villagomez, 9/19/01

As reported by our local media, those were the words of former executive director of CUC Tim Villagomez four years ago in support of the fuel surcharge. With the price of fuel being what it is in 2005 those words couldn’t be any truer today. Unfortunately Villagomez was unsuccessful in his attempt to implement the fuel surcharge in 2001 and absorbing the increased costs over time.

The fuel surcharge was created by P.L. 4-47 in the early ’80s. It was put in place to allow CUC to adjust its utility rates to reflect the fluctuation in the actual cost of fuel. Just as shipping companies and gas stations increase rates with the rising cost of fuel so must CUC. The CNMI is not alone in passing on a fuel surcharge to utility users, and we do not have to look far to see that in fact utility rates are cheaper here than some other places in the Pacific. While no one is pleased with having to pay for the rising cost of fuel, the surcharge is reasonable.

It is too bad that the fuel surcharge has become such a hot political issue in this election year. Those politicians that would repeal the surcharge only aim to gain more votes, all the while knowing that “it hurts less to plan and implement now, than to pay for the cost of ignorance and a crisis later.” To remove it now without appropriating any funding for CUC would be completely irresponsible. If the Legislature really wants to help the people, they should find funding to subsidize low-income families who are really feeling the impact of the surcharge. To play political games with unrealistic legislation hurts everyone.

As Villagomez pointed out in 2001, no board members, legislators or governors had wanted to make the difficult decision to implement the fuel surcharge. Politically it might be a bad move, but the governor, the board, and the legislators voting against the veto should be applauded for making the responsible decision and keeping the lights on in the CNMI.

Isidro Kani
Tanapag Village