Google Philippines joined the celebration of Buwan ng Wika with the local media in an afternoon of fun and trivia using Voice Search in Filipino.
If you remember, Google launched Voice Search in Filipino mid-July for both Android phones and the Chrome browser. You can change your mobile phone’s language settings to Filipino and use the Filipino UI on Chrome and start speaking queries on Google Search. Interestingly, you can even ask in Taglish. Ask Google, “Ano ang pambansang isda?” and you will get the answer in a jiffy.
“Google is thrilled to join the Buwan ng Wika celebration through Voice Search in Filipino. We are constantly looking for ways to make our products locally relevant and meaningful, and we are glad that we can give Filipinos this search featrure,” said Gail Tan, Country Communications Manager at Google Philippines.
Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III noted the addition of the Filipino Voice Search feature on mobile devices and the Chrome browser for Filipinos. “This is an innovation that will surely make its mark on the search habits and practices of an increasingly online public,” said Quezon III, who is grandson and namesake of the second Philippine President, known as the “Father of the National Language”.