| Ace Barbers | |
| Office: | Chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs |
| Term Start: | July 25, 2016 |
| Predecessor: | Vicente Belmonte Jr. |
| Office1: | Member of the House of Representatives from Surigao del Norte's 2nd district |
| Term Start1: | June 30, 2016 |
| Predecessor1: | Guillermo Romarate |
| Successor1: | Incumbent |
| Term Start2: | June 30, 1998 |
| Term End2: | June 30, 2007 |
| Predecessor2: | Robert Barbers |
| Successor2: | Guillermo Romarate |
| Office3: | Governor of Surigao del Norte |
| Term Start3: | June 30, 2007 |
| Term End3: | June 30, 2010 |
| Vicegovernor3: | Arturo Egay |
| Predecessor3: | Robert Lyndon Barbers |
| Successor3: | Sol Matugas |
| Birth Name: | Robert Ace Smith Barbers |
| Birth Date: | 1969 5, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Manila, Philippines |
| Spouse: | Bernadette Sison |
| Party: | Nacionalista (2009 - present) |
| Otherparty: | Lakas–CMD (1997–2009) |
| Children: | Robert King Barbers Robert Jack Barbers Robert Ace Barbers, Jr. Robert Spade Barbers |
| Alma Mater: | De La Salle University (AB) University of the Philippines (MPA) |
| Profession: | Politician |
Robert Ace Smith Barbers (usually stylized as Robert "Ace" Barbers), (born May 31, 1969) or also known simply as Ace Barbers, is a Filipino politician. The son of former senator Robert Barbers, he is currently serving as the representative of the second district of Surigao del Norte (1998–2007 and since 2016). He previously served as well as provincial governor (2007–2010).[1]
Barbers was born on May 31, 1969, in Manila, Philippines. He is the second of four siblings by Robert Barbers and Virginia Smith.[2]
Barbers was a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in political science, Minor in Economics at the De La Salle University (1987–1990), and became a holder of Master's degree in Public Administration and Governance at the University of the Philippines (2000–2003).
Barbers has four sons.
Barbers came from a political clan in Surigao del Norte where his father was a Secretary of the Interior and Local Government and served in the Congress until 2004,[3] and died a year later. His brother, Robert Lyndon, has been serving as provincial governor;[4] while another, Robert Dean, served as a councilor in Makati and held cabinet positions during the Arroyo administration, being named officer-in-charge of the Department of Tourism and general manager and CEO of the Philippine Tourism Authority.
The family lost their political control in 2010 when the Matugases won the key positions in the province.[5] While Ace lost in his re-election bid for provincial governor, his two brothers were likewise defeated: Lyndon, who ran for Surigao City mayor; and Dean, for Makati 1st district representative.[6] At the time of Ace's re-election as congressman in 2022, Lyndon only regained his seat.
Barbers first served as the representative of the 2nd district of Surigao del Norte (the position previously held by his father) from 1998 to 2007. During his term, he belonged to the Lakas–NUCD of former president Fidel V. Ramos,[7] which later became the ruling Lakas party of the administration of Gloria Macapagal–Arroyo. During the House speakership of Jose de Venecia Jr., Barbers was the chairperson of the accounts committee[8] until his resignation in 2005, reportedly to focus on his post-graduate studies at the University of the Philippines.
It was during Barbers' term when he and his father, then-senator Robert, authored the Comprehensive Drugs Bill of 2002. He was among those who voted against president Arroyo's controversial proposal to increase the value-added tax from 10–12 percent.[9]
Barbers was known being a member of the so-called "Spice Boys" who called for the impeachment of then-president Joseph Estrada. On the other hand, he signed the unsuccessful impeachment complaint against Arroyo.[10]
Barbers won for provincial governor of Surigao del Norte in 2007,[11] but lost to Sol Folcadilla Matugas, retired regional director of the Department of Education – Caraga,[12] in his re-election bid in 2010.[13]
Barbers has been a member of the Nacionalista Party[14] since 2013,[15] at that time he lost to incumbent second district representative Guillermo Romarate Jr., who later finished his third and last term.
Barbers eventually regained the seat in 2016;[16] he is currently serving his third consecutive term—the sixth overall.[17] He has been the chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, and was among those who supported the drug war of the Duterte administration.
In his tenure in the lower house, Barbers has been supporting charter change,[18] particularly reforms on economic provisions.[19]
Barbers was among more than a hundred legislators mentioned in the 2013 special audit report on the release of the Priority Development Assistance Fund to non-governmental organizations during his governorship, from 2007 to 2009.[20]
In October 2016, an ethics complaint was filed against Barbers by his political rival, Surigao del Sur 1st district representative Prospero Pichay Jr., for his "disorderly behavior" in relation to a confrontation when the two fought with each other after a heated exchange during a discussion on charter change in the meeting of the House constitutional amendments panel.
The following month, Barbers filed an ethics complaint against Pichay, whom he accused of theft and graft, due to the alleged illegal mining activities of the latter's company.[21]