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,[6] and died a year later.

[10] 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.

[13] During the House speakership of Jose de Venecia Jr., Barbers was the chairperson of the accounts committee[14] until his resignation in 2005, reportedly to focus on his post-graduate studies at the University of the Philippines.

[7] Barbers won for provincial governor of Surigao del Norte in 2007,[1][15] but lost to Sol Forcadilla Matugas, retired regional director of the Department of Education – Caraga,[16] in his re-election bid in 2010.

Meanwhile in 2019, his local party Abante Surigao formed an alliance with Hugpong ng Pagbabago of then Davao City mayor Sara Duterte, whose successful candidacy for vice president was endorsed by him in 2022.

[23] However in late 2024, Barbers led the House Quad Committee Investigation, an inquiry on issues involving the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and other allegations during the Duterte administration.

[26] 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.