CNMI sees 1st gas price hike in months

A Mobil Oil Marianas price board at a gas station in Garapan displays the new gas prices. (KIMBERLY B. ESMORES)

After months of seeing a steady decline in fuel prices, the CNMI was hit with an unexpected increase yesterday, with local oil companies raising prices by 10 cents.

At around 4pm yesterday, Mobil Oil Marianas surprised consumers with an unexpected 10 cent increase.

Although Shell Marianas’ prices remain the same as of 6pm press time, the company has traditionally mirrored each other’s price increases.

As of yesterday, Mobil now charges $5.26 per gallon of its Extra fuel, increasing from $5.16. Similarly, Mobil’s Supreme fuel has also increased by 10 cents from $5.61 per gallon to $5.71, while diesel went up by 25 cents from $6.28 per gallon to $6.53.

Individuals who had just gotten off from work and stopped by to fill up their tanks were blind-sided by the unexpected increase.

“I really thought the rollbacks would continue to the end of the year. I really wasn’t expecting to come up to the tank to see gas had gone up again,” said a 38-year-old motorist.

Another motorist expressed that she didn’t expect the rollbacks to last but she was hoping gas would stay the same until at least December.

“Gas used to go down around this time of year so I’m surprised that it went up today. But if you really think about it, the downward trend wasn’t going to last,” she said.

Meanwhile, a gas attendant said he was also shocked to hear about prices increasing.

“When I came in and heard about the increase, I was shocked because I kept hoping that we were going to see prices get lower. I was wrong. I should’ve filled my tank yesterday,” he said.

The CNMI experienced months of back-to-back fuel price rollbacks since July. The last increase in fuel prices were seen in early June.

For the past few months, the CNMI has seen a consistent downward trend in fuel prices.

Starting in the first week of July, the CNMI saw a series of rollbacks with fuel dropping from $6.56 per gallon of regular fuel from the beginning of the month, to $5.16.

The first rollback was seen on July 5, with local oil companies reducing their prices by 15 cents from $6.56 to $6.41.

Then in the early hours of July 7, the CNMI saw the largest rollback by far when oil companies dropped their prices by 25 cents from $6.41 to $6.16.

The third rollback of July was seen last July 14, with fuel prices dropping to $6.01.

The fourth rollback was seen last July 20 with fuel dropping another 15 cents from $6.01 to $5.86.

Then, just six days later, on July 26 the last rollback for the month of July brought fuel down from $5.86 to $5.71.

The next rollback was seen around the first week of August when fuel went from $5.71 to $5.61.

Then, in the first week of September, gas dropped again by another 20 cents bringing fuel down from $5.61 to $5.41, followed by yet another rollback on Sept. 20, with gas prices dropping to $5.26 per gallon.

Before the months end, on Sept. 28, fuel dropped again by another 10 cents from $5.26 per gallon to $5.16.