Last Wednesday, November 26, 2025, my ex-colleague at UniversalMcCann, Maita Consulta took the stage at the MSAP Media Congress Media Icons 2025 to deliver this :
Good evening, everyone. This is by far the most exciting assignment in all of my career, because this is something deeply personal for me. Please indulge me for a few seconds to imagine that the legend we honor is here with us today. Because she is. Her memory flows, her love endures, through us, in us. Picture how happy she must be to see so many of us gathered here to honor her contributions, her talent which is, like her name, almost other-worldly to us, but natural to her.
Venus was a working student, she started her career in research at GMA7 and PSRC. She then ventured into the advertising media world, joining such giants as McCann, then Publicis, then went on to lead a start-up, IPG. Wherever she went she waved her magic wand and turned agencies into the winningest ones, whether it was newbiz, awards, or industry rankings. But of course it was more than magic, Venus’s brand of persistence and passion for innovation transformed the unthinkable to realization, like turning a community dumpsite near her Baguio home into the beautiful Venus garden that it is now. Like going back to her hometown Angono to help grow its creative economy. Like collaborating with UP on a Covid education research at the time when people were too scared or uncertain about vaccines. And many, many others that make her a legend, an icon.
She was our Mother V, teaching us life hacks long before the word hack was even popularly used. Nurturing yet empowering. Awe-inspiring yet humble and grounded. That’s what makes her a real, irreplaceable legend in my heart, in our hearts.
Thank you and Congratulations, Ms. Venus (Mother V.) Navalta, Media Icon 2025.
Our beloved boss at Universal McCann way back 25 years ago was recognized as one of the Philippines' Media Icons. To receive her award was her beloved Egay Navalta, and son, Carlo.
It was great to see them both that day.
As
it was, Venus was a solid believer in the power of Out-of-Home Media.
To the industry of outdoor advertising, she was not just an advocate,
she was an ally.
Her contribution to the OOH industry is
invaluable such that she was the one who pioneered agency-managed OOH
media holdings. Venus blazed the trail by setting up an in-house OOH
media unit within UniversalMcCann during the early days of UM's
formation in the year 2000.
From
there, McCann became a formidable buyer of OOH having under its
auspices, the total OOH inventory of Nestle, Globe, Coke (all brands
under TCCEC), Johnson and Johnson, Mastercard, Cathay Pacific, and all
other McCann clients we as UM could lay our hands on.
During this
time of birth pains, there were a lot of conflicts which arose.
Naturally, the suppliers' side could not immediately take all the new
parameters set forth by the agency in order to regulate the common
problems encountered by clients and agencies when it came to timeliness
of implementation, compliance of illumination, billing procedures, and
more. But Venus knew how to manage these all. The charm of Venus could
easily arrest whatever irate feelings by key people from the vendor side,
assuring the industry organization that vendors will get paid as long as
the new system of check and balances implemented for the client's peace
of mind are followed.
From
then on, Venus had always become a visible ally of the industry
organization, the OAAP which is now known as OHAAP. She would always
have time to lend her insights at the speakers' podium in the
conferences of the OAAP. She even went all the way to Davao to attend
the OAAP Summit in 2015, sharing new directions on where OOH may be in
the years to come.
Over
the past year and a quarter, during the pandemic, I have been posting
on my blog (and on my Facebook wall), a lot of the OOH firsts done here
in the Philippines. These were executed during my brief time with UM
and under the leadership of Venus.
Time and again, through these
posts, I would acknowledge Venus' thought leadership in this arena. And
yes, time and again, she would acknowledge these "OOH firsts" with a
like, a heart, or even a simple and succinct comment like, "Contextual
messaging, we were way ahead!!!".
For this, I am happy that while none of us saw what was coming in terms of Venus having her health challenged this year, I was not late in letting her know that the "OOH Firsts" by UM are still remembered.
In Venus' last work-related post on Facebook, she had this to say,
Her final work-related story was still related to OOH!
Congrats Venus, you are truly a Media Icon and an ally of the OOH media industry!
The
writer, Lloyd Tronco, is an Out-Of-Home Media Strategist. He is a
constant subject matter expert on Out-Of-Home
Media and Digital Signage. He is also the industry journalist for OOH
in the Philippines. He was handpicked by Venus to be part of the UM pioneering OOH team in 2001.
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