LIPA CITY, Batangas -- For one-and-a-half hours at least, a Catholic bishop critical of her administration held back against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, suddenly calling her the "mother of the republic."

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, delivered the homily during a concelebrated mass Friday at the Our Lady of Mediatrix of All Grace here, to mark the 60th anniversary of a Marian apparition to Carmelite nun Teresita Castillo.

The President was in the audience, together with Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal were among those who celebrated the mass.

If the Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of the Catholic Church, Lagdameo said in his homily that the President was the "Mother of the Republic."

"Sa ating pagkakapatiran sa Mahal na Birhen, Mediatrix of All Grace, pahintulutan nyo akong tawagin kayong Ate Glo [In union with the Blessed Virgin, Mediatrix of All Grace, allow me to call you Ate Glo]," Lagdameo said.

The President was seen laughing at Lagdameo's ice-breaker.

Turning to the governor, Lagdameo said: "Sa diwa ng ating pagkakapatiran sa Mahal na Birhen, pahintulutan po ninyo akong tawagin kayong Ate Vi [In the spirit of our union with the Blessed Virgin, allow me to call you Ate Vi]."

"Ate Vi" has been the governor's moniker as an actress, before she joined politics.

Lagdameo has criticized the Arroyo administration for alleged corruption and election fraud.

At the end of the mass, Santos-Recto led the prayer for the consecration of Jesus through Mary, while Arroyo led the prayer for consecration of the country.

Kneeling before a statue of the Virgin Mary on the altar, Arroyo prayed: "We consecrate to you all that we have, all that we do, all that we are, we consecrate to you our homes our loved ones."

She also prayed that the nation would "promote respect for the value of human life."

Earlier in the day, the President and the Governor awarded supplies to farmers at the Fernando Air Base, also in this city.