Filipino athletes are off to a rough start in the 19th Asian Games.

As of this writing, Team Philippines is still hunting for its first gold medal after losing on various fronts, from swimming to skateboarding to taekwondo and boxing, considered one of the most popular sports in the country.

Elite athletes Kyla Sanchez of swimming, Margielyn Didal of skateboarding, Kirstie Alora of taekwondo, and boxers Nesthy Petecio and Irish Magno were counted on to deliver. Still, they failed to make an impact in this quadrennial event where Asia's best athletes are seeing action.

Instead, Team Philippines drew medals from four unheralded athletes and a professional campaigner who is not banking on the government — the Philippine Sports Commission — for the usual financial support.

Arnel Mandal, a 28-year-old wushu fighter from Iloilo City, pulled off a surprise when he advanced to the gold medal match of the men's 56-kilogram sanda event.

He, however, fell prey to a more superior Chinese in Jiang Haidong in the gold medal match.

Other wushu fighters also delivered for the Filipinos.

Gideon Padua was on his way to a gold medal after posting impressive performances in the early stretch of his campaign in the men's 60-kg sanda event.

But he suffered a broken nose before defeating Agajumageldi Yazymov of Turkmenistan, prompting him to pull out of his semifinal battle against Shoja Panahigelehkolaei of Iran to avoid aggravating his injury.

Clemente Tabugara Jr. also settled for bronze after losing to Samuel Mrbun of Indonesia in the semifinals of the men's 65-kg sanda event.

Before Mandal's, Padua's and Tabugara's podium finishes, Jones Inso claimed a bronze for the Philippines in the men's taijiquan-taijijian all-around event. At the same time, taekwondo jin Patrick King Perez also emerged with a bronze medal in the men's individual poomsae.

But the biggest revelation was tennis princess Alex Eala.

Campaigning in her first Asian Games, the 18-year-old Eala pulled off a surprise when she coasted all the way to the semifinals of the women's singles event before teaming up with veteran Francis Casey Alcantara to grab another bronze medal in the mixed doubles.

What makes Eala's feat truly impressive is that she doesn't rely on the PSC for funding because she's campaigning professionally in the international arena after graduating from the world-famous Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Spain last June.

At press time, Asian record holder EJ Obiena is vying for the country's first gold medal in the men's pole vault event. At the same time, Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz is scheduled to scale a mountain when she shoots for the title in the heavier women's 58-kg weightlifting event.

Prized boxers Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam are still in contention and are favored to emerge victorious in the men's 80-kg and 57-kg events, respectively.

The vaunted Gilas Pilipinas team is also looking good and is expected to come up with a podium finish in the men's basketball tournament.

The battle is still far from over. The Filipinos still have a good chance of emerging victorious on various fronts.

But with how things went in the first half of the Asian Games, it appears that the initial target of bringing home four gold medals is now impossible.