I had initially planned on conducting a little survey to find out what popular sports personalities do on Holy Week, and if this sacred time of year holds a special significance to them.

I started by texting the two questions to national athletics head Go Teng Kok, the first on my dozen-or-so list of respondents.

In a matter of seconds, my phone rang. GTK hardly ever uses his cellphone for texting. I grabbed a pen and a notebook.

However, I couldn?t take down notes. The line was so choppy I couldn?t make out what he was saying. I heard him utter three names? Macapagal, Angping and Tessa?and words like advise, kaibigan (friend), Chinese, tulong (assistance)? but I just couldn?t piece them together to make sense.

Surely, though, what he was saying had nothing to do with the questionnaire I had texted.

I don?t know, but it seems that GTK was requesting me to tell my friend Tessa Jazmines, who he said in a previous conversation was Harry Angping?s PRO, to advice the Philippine Sports Commission chair to forget about the last POC elections and concentrate on helping the national sports associations because he only has 12 months to prove himself. If he can do this, his fellow Filipino-Chinese would be very proud of him.

That, in a nutshell, I think, was what GTK was trying to tell me. Among other things.

?But wait, before we digress any further, please answer my two questions,? I reminded GTK. Obviously he had forgotten about them because I had to repeat the questions.

?Mahjong. What else is there to do during Holy Week except play mahjong,? he replied, answering both my questions.

The survey ended there.

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Of late, it seems that PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial has always been in some distant place, hundreds of miles away from Metro Manila.

Last Saturday, he was in Panabo, Davao del Norte, for the provincial game between Ginebra and Barako Bull. On Tuesday, I reached him at the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel in Cebu, site of the most recent PBA board meeting which enjoyed a 100-percent attendance from the governors, according to Willie.

?All the governors are here?chair Joaqui Trillo of Alaska, vice chair Lito Alvarez of Burger King, treasurer Rene Pardo of Purefoods, Robert Non of Ginebra, Ely Capacio of San Miguel, Tony Chua of Barako Bull, Buddy Encarnado of Sta. Lucia, JB Baylon of Coca-Cola, lawyer Mamerto Mondragon of Rain or Shine and Ricky Vargas of Talk ?N Text.?

Ricky hosted a dinner Monday night at Plantation Bay where almost all the governors danced the Tahitian, reported Willie.

?We were literally dragged onstage for the show?s Tahitian number. Guess who was the sexiest dancer among the governors,? asked Willie.

It was a night to remember for the board members. Meantime, they still had to tackle several items on the agenda. We received word that the board had allowed the RP-Gilas team of coach Rajko Toroman to play a series of exhibition games in the PBA.

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We may have heard the last on the Manny Pacquiao TV coverage controversy.

According to an unimpeachable source, Pacquiao got a call recently from ABS-CBN warning him, in so many words, to shut up. Otherwise, ABS-CBN would spill the beans on him, probably in both print and television.

So far, both camps have kept quiet.

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HOOPVINE: Cager Japeth Aguilar will arrive in Manila after his college graduation from the Western Kentucky U on May 15. Japeth says he has been working out on his own to stay in shape for the RP team tryout? Scheduled starting April 3 is a couple of tune-up games between Yeng Guiao?s Powerade Team Pilipinas and the Motolite-Australia Hoopdreamz, an Australian selection. What caught my attention about this series was the guest list, which includes distinguished PBA coaches, former commissioners, RP sports VIPs and high-ranking government officials such as Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, Mayors Sonny Belmonte of Quezon City and Peewee Trinidad of Pasay, and Rizal Gov. Jun-Jun Ynares.