Social media phenom Mimiyuuuh is now helping motorists navigate the congested roads of Metro Manila with her quirkiness and humor.
The new celebrity voice joins that of Catriona Gray on Waze, an app that guides drivers through various traffic routes using crowdsourced traffic information from users themselves.
Filipinos can download her voice by choosing “Filipino-Mimiyuuuh” under the “Voice and Sound” option of the app.
The initiative is made possible by Lazada, a popular online shopping portal.
“Go where your Heart Beats and let your ghurl lead the way!” it said in a Facebook post.
Social media users wasted no time downloading the voice and even shared some of the clips to fellow Mimiyuuuh fans, particularly those who commute or drive every day in the metro.
Her Waze voice, according to a report, features her distinct “kulot” pronunciations and her famous catchphrase “Hey guys, it’s your girl.”
HOY. HAHAHAHA ININSTALL KO WAZE PARA MARINIG SI @mimiyuuuh HAHAHAHAHAHA pic.twitter.com/EvH2EySvAz
— Teresa Gueco (@thetgueco) December 6, 2019
“Aliw na aliw ako sa Waze. Pamatay bagot sa traffic,” another Twitter user said.
“Hayop, nasa Waze na din si Mimiyuuuh, hayop ‘di na boring ‘ pag babyahe na (nang) malayo,” said another user.
“After Catriona Gray, your gurl Mimiyuuuh‘s voice is now on @waze. It’s what a perpetually [heavy]-traffic country needs right now,” a user commented.
Mimiyuuuh is known for an extremely candid persona as seen in self-produced viral vlogs. She first gained recognition for her “Dalagang Pilipina” video which has since spawned memes, different versions and even a challenge.
The first famous personality to have been featured in Waze is Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray through BDO. Her voice has been described as “cute” and “optimistic” by some app users.
Gray herself said that she wanted to keep the Filipinos “inspired” and for them to continue remaining “optimistic despite many challenges such as the traffic.”
RELATED: Here’s how you can download Catriona Gray’s voice on Waze
There has also been a clamor for comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto to be featured in Waze as well but it has yet to happen, although the navigation app said that she could record her own voice and share its link to the public.
Quinto is famous for her extra energetic voice and humorous lines and catchphrases such as “Go, go, go!” and “Todo na ‘toooo!”
Heavy traffic in the metro
Waze utilizes voices to guide drivers in their travel especially in urban areas where heavy traffic is constant and extremely time-consuming.
It features various voice packs with different accents that drivers can choose from to guide them through the best routes and alert them of possible risks that they might encounter on the road.
The navigation app recently reported that Metro Manila might become the world’s worst city to drive in for the second year in a row. It noted that traveling one kilometer in the metropolis takes about five minutes.
“Travel times have gotten longer in Asia’s most congested metropolitan area, and they’re expected to get even worse in the run-up to the Christmas holiday,” financial news website Bloomberg said before.
Waze country lead Sarah Rodriguez said that the company expects to see a 16% jump in kilometers driven and a 10% increase in Waze’s 1.6 million active users over the peak period of November and December.
