BIZ BUZZ: ‘Dutch treat’ for Boskalis’ PH rep?

A businesswoman who helped Boskalis International—one of the biggest dredging and maritime infrastructure firms in the world—bag the land redevelopment deal for what is becoming the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan has sued officials of the Dutch firm for estafa.

That’s because, according to the complainant, Elma Arboleras, the Boskalis officials refuse to pay what she believes is due her for helping them bag the multibillion-dollar contract with San Miguel Corp. (SMC), which is building the sprawling new aviation hub to the north of Manila.

Arboleras and her lawyer told Biz Buzz that the businesswoman was so instrumental for Boskalis’ success in bagging the Bulacan airport land redevelopment deal (and another subsequent project, the Pasay Harbor City deal) that a ranking official of the Dutch firm, Walter Jacobs, even publicly acknowledged her pivotal role in bagging the contract during one public event in 2021.

“I would like to thank our Elma Arboleras, our local representative who you can see in the photo together with the CEO of San Miguel Corp. who is our client for this project, of course,” Jacobs said. “Elma opened the doors from the beginning with her personal relations with SMC and ensured that we continued to be well connected throughout the selection process.”

“Having been able to land Boskalis its first-ever contracts in the Philippines in its 25 years of existence, Elma sought payment of the success fee as agreed upon,” according to her complaint filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“However, respondents-appellees categorically denied that Elma is entitled to any success fee. Instead of paying Elma the success fee promised after obtaining for them the two huge projects, respondents-appellees offered her only a meager amount of P3 million.”

It’s important to note that the standard success fee in deals like this ranges anywhere from 1 to 10 percent of the total project amount (with larger values being subject to smaller percentages).

The complaint was filed with Pasay prosecutors who found probable cause to charge the Boskalis officials with estafa, but they subsequently reversed themselves. Arboleras has since appealed her case before the DOJ where it remains pending.

So the question is… will Arboleras receive the success fee that she deserves for her work? Or will the deal end up to be a “Dutch treat”? Abangan! —Daxim L. Lucas INQ