There is something almost ironic about what happened today.As the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte entered another day, Metro Manila was once again dealing with a problem far more immediate and tangible: floodwaters swallowing roads, stranding motorists and disrupting the daily lives of thousands.

From Quezon City to Mandaluyong, Manila and other parts of the capital, the images speak for themselves. And while senators were inside the impeachment court debating confidential funds and testimony, outside, ordinary Filipinos were wading through floodwater simply trying to get home.

It almost feels as if someone—or something—is saying: “Know your priorities.” This is not to say that accountability should be abandoned. If there are legitimate allegations against the Vice President, they deserve to be heard and decided according to law and evidence.

But government has more than one responsibility. The country cannot spend weeks obsessing over political battles while basic problems—flood control, drainage, traffic, disaster preparedness and public safety—continue to drown communities.

What good is winning an impeachment battle if people are still asking why their streets flood every time the rain refuses to stop? The floodwaters are not political. They do not care whether you are DDS, Marcos loyalist, opposition, administration or neither. They simply expose what works—and what doesn’t.

Maybe the images from today’s flooding should serve as a reminder to everyone in government that while politics occupies the headlines, there are millions of Filipinos dealing with problems that cannot be postponed until after the impeachment trial.

Perhaps the country needs fewer political spectacles and more attention to the things that actually keep people safe.Because while politicians argue inside the courtroom, the Filipino people are already outside—up to their knees in water.