Part 16: Is it worth saving a weak, incompetent and utterly corrupt president?
This quotation from English historian Lord Acton in his 1887 letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, expressed his belief that power inherently leads to moral decay, regardless of whether it’s political or religious authority.
Today, we see the need for moral scrutiny of our leaders and a national soul-searching.
Having said this, I don’t know where Robert “Ace” Barbers is coming from but I think he should first look at the mirror, because in my opinion, he has fallen far from the tree where he came from.
His father Robert Zabala Barbers, was a distinguished police officer who served in the Manila Police Department for 27 years, credited for the celebrated arrest of drug lord Jose “Don Pepe” Oyson, military rebel Billy and communist leader Ignacio Capegsan.
Bobby left the force as colonel to run for Congress for the second district of Surigao del Norte in 1992, but cut his second term after being reelected in 1995, to accept the appointment by President Fidel Ramos to serve as secretary of interior and local government, before getting elected senator in 1998 but losing reelection in 2004.
I can no longer remember what year I first met Bobby but that must have been when I started occasionally coming home to the Philippines for consultancies after my diplomatic stint in Washington DC; sometime before he was reelected to Congress.
We would have long conversations seating side-by-side whenever we chanced having a haircut together, with boncilla, massage and the works at Bayview Barbershop along UN Avenue. The ritual lasted long hours, as we intermittently discussed the issues of the day.
I gave him a long ear when he narrated to me his misgivings about a “thankless” public life – for instance, how his name was dragged during his term as DILG in connection with drug lord’s Lawrence Wang escape from police custody.
The senator was also implicated in the “Hello-Garci Tapes” scandal, when transcripts and audio recordings were released in 2005 of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo asking Comelec official Virgilio Garcillano, “to help Bobby Barbers”.
That would have been inconsequential but additional recordings later surfaced where allegedly Barbers himself was recorded speaking with Garcillano multiple times around the period of the canvassing of votes. Yet, no charges were filed against him.
Two unforgettable notes left in my mind were his publicly-acknowledged devotion to the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, and remembering he died on Christmas Day of 2005.
Nine years later on May 2014, however, Janet Lim-Napoles included him in her list of individuals involved in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) pork barrel scam when her affidavit and the accompanying lists were submitted to the Senate for investigations.
Again, that was unfortunate as he was already deceased.
No charges were filed but up to now I have given him the benefit of the doubt because I saw no trace of intellectual dishonesty or political wickedness in Robert Zabala Barbers.
However, I cannot say the same thing about Ace Barbers.
First-hand experience
Frankly, I do not recall a single act of greatness I can attribute the son of my friend Bobby as now as a matter of personal knowledge, Ace’s only political capital is the reputation his father built before him.
When I was summoned by the TriCom of the House of Representatives to shed light as a resource person in aid of legislation on why I made a public statement that the National Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act 12064) was a “stupid law”, I brought with me copies of pertinent official documents and articles, even taped videos, to help Congress not only in possibly correcting substantial errors in the law itself, but also in legislative and executive precedents like our baselines law 2009 Republic Act 9522 and Noynoy Aquino’s 2012 Administrative Order 29.
I wanted to inform them and to put on public record, that these three formal documents, which serve as bases of local law enforcement and official reference, have provisions that are (1) in violation of the treaty that they indicate as their basis, particularly the United Nations Convention of the L:aw of the Seas (UNCLOS); (2) in contradiction to the guidelines only for Philippine consumption as clarified by the 2016 Arbitral Award; (3) not in synch with world history particularly of East Asia predating and following World War II and finally (4) confusing Philippine debates on foreign policy issues that could sacrifice the safety and lives of our fisherfolk, coast guard and military and escalate bringing the country to the fringes of war.
In that session, Congressman Romeo Acop graciously reminded me of the protocol observed in Congressional hearings that I should address all my remarks to the chairman, and not to the individual questioner. I thank him for that; may his soul rest in peace.
A second member, Bienvenido Abante, however, sarcastically questioned why even if I am a not lawyer by my own admission, I could call the Republic Act 12064 a “stupid law”.
I replied simply because I know how to read. I quoted the pertinent provision of the Act Section 2 (b): “The maritime zones of the Philippines on the western side of the Philippine archipelago, including the Luzon Sea and the territorial seas of Bajo de Masinloc and the maritime features of the Kalayaan Island Group, shall be collectively called the West Philippine Sea.”
But when I added, “Mr. Chairman, territorial seas cannot be created internal law because territorial seas are created by “land sovereignty”, Congressman Abante rudely interrupted me, and passed on the discussion to another member of the committee, who was Ace Barbers.
Earlier, Barbers had asked what credentials do I have to comment on international affairs, and I informed the committee that I was a Philippine diplomat from 1986 to 93 serving in Washington DC under Ambassador Emmanuel Pelaez.
Luminous, a blog by former PCO Secretary Trixie Angeles, reported that “Ace just conveniently swept Ado under the rug by saying the resource person is not a diplomat, based solely on his complete ignorance of Paglinawan’s credentials.
“That happened just when Ado Paglinawan was about to tell Dan Fernandez that the “UNCLOS Decision” he was asking about does not exist anywhere in the Arbitral Award, or anywhere in the universe for that matter.
“Had Paglinawan been allowed to continue speaking, as he had the floor to do so, Fernandez would have been properly educated about asking a question that is completely meaningless.
“Fortunately for Fernandez, Ace Barbers saved his colleague from such proper education on such factual things about aspects of the debate on the WPS Case.
“Thanks to Barbers, the tradition of cluelessness in the country has been preserved. His heroism is great and admirable. Shame on Ado Paglinawan for even attempting to properly educate members of the august halls of the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines.”
For the information of the former congressman, a diplomat (1) is a commissioning requested by the sending country to the hosting country to accredit him for state representation as distinguished from mere consular functions.
As such, he carries a blue not a red passport. My accreditation in the US State Department’s “blue list” entitled me to the privileges reserved for diplomats for seven years. Anybody in the following list can be accredited as a “diplomat” by the host country.
(2) To correct Mr. Barbers, the title diplomat is not only reserved for chief of missions or ambassadors. They are also accorded to press attaches that I was, even if we were both political appointees.
(3) The only difference between career officials in Foreign Affairs and political appointees is that the former underwent departmental training and passed a qualifying exam. Political appointees are mainly recruited outside of the service because of their expertise and proven track record.
However, career officials stay in the service even after post assignments, while political appointees are co-terminus with their appointing officer, in this case the president or the secretary of foreign affairs.
Fruits of a tree
Speaking of legacies, I find it unfortunate for the memory of Bobby Barbers to be wasted in the succeeding generation.
His youngest son, Robert Dean Barbers, who served as general manager of the defunct Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), has been convicted of graft and sentenced to imprisonment of six to eight years and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
In June 2025, the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court found Dean and two other officials guilty of graft in connection with an illegal P3.7-million sports complex project in Intramuros, Manila in 2005.
While his older sibling Robert Ace Barbers has so far skirted being summoned to any involvement in the trillion-peso flood control scandal confronting the country, a number of questionable items have been reported in his constituent area Surigao del Norte.
A flood control structure worth more than ₱87 million located in Barangay Mabuhay, Sison, Surigao del Norte’s second district collapsed in November 2025, just three years after its completion, raising serious questions about its construction despite the absence of heavy rains, strong water currents, or active flooding at the time.
But what is mind-boggling is what Inquirer.net said that over P5-billion worth of infrastructure projects across multiple municipalities in Surigao del Norte’s 2nd District were found to be unfinished, substandard, or already deteriorating despite being listed as completed.
This is according to a complaint, submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last October, supported by documents and photographs contradicting official records of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). which list the projects as completed.
The NBI, along with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and other relevant agencies, has yet to take action on the complaint.
Below is the list of projects, their supposed status based on official records, and what photos show:
- Poctoy–Bonifacio Bridge (P359.7 million) — Declared 100 percent completed, but cracks appeared just months after turnover.
- Access Roads Leading to Seaports, Surigao City (P201.9 million) — Last phase declared 30.09 percent complete, but no work was observed on site.
Construction of Access Road leading to seaports
- Flood Control, Barangay Masgad, Malimono (P260.6 million) — Listed as completed, yet slopes collapsed, embankments eroded, and channels filled with debris.
Barangay Masgad, Malimono,
- Cabugao Flood Control, Barangay Cabugao, Bacuag (P78.5 million) — Declared ongoing, but large cracks and deteriorating concrete were evident after the contract expired in August 2024.
Barangay Cabugao
- Tinago Flood Control, Barangay Tinago, Malimono (P388.5 million) — Marked 100 percent completed, but segments were broken and walls left incomplete.
Tinago River
- Magtiaco River Flood Control, Alegria (P308.6 million) — Declared completed, but new works were already washed out and cracking.
Magtiaco, Alegria
- Baoy River Flood Control, Gigaquit (P86.2 million) — Listed as completed, yet foundations were exposed and erosion evident.
- Campo Flood Control, Bacuag (P48.9 million) — Only 59.79 percent complete with no activity observed, and the contract expired in December 2022.
- Kinabutan River Flood Controls (various phases), Surigao City (P192.9 million) — Declared completed, but reinforcement collapsed, slopes eroded, and revetments broke.
- Sitio Sangay Flood Control, Surigao City (P98.4 million) — Listed at 68.69 percent accomplished, yet no work was visible on site.
- Anao–Aon Bridge vs. Daywan Bridge (P180 million / P56 million) — Anao–Aon Bridge remains substandard and incomplete compared to the smaller Daywan Bridge.
- Pananay-an Bridge, Placer (P33.5 million) — Declared ongoing, but remains unfinished after the contract expired in July 2025.
- Flood Mitigation Structure, Malimono (P85.9 million) — Listed as ongoing, yet still unfinished after the contract expired in May 2025.
Malimono Binocaran
Projects that recorded no work despite receiving funds include road construction in Barangay Orok, Surigao City (P9.8 million); flood control in Barangay Capalayan, Surigao City (P66.8 million); rehabilitation of a seawall in Barangay Punta Bilar, Surigao City (P95.3 million); and road rehabilitation from Barangay Pili to Barangay Katihatag in Malimono (P44.4 million).
Former Surigao del Norte Congressman Robert Ace Barbers has warned government investigators and media organizations about the “bogus” complainants allegedly being used to distort the ongoing inquiries into the allegedly anomalous infrastructure projects.
He issued the warning after two “pseudo” complainants went to the ICI submitted “fabricated” affidavits involving supposed questionable projects in his province’s second legislative district.
“I was informed that the two complainants- one who is reportedly a former drug addict and one who was a dismissed employee of the province’s regional hospital, are being paid well and are being used by our now desperate rivals to make ‘noises’ at the ICI and social media on alleged anomalous projects in my district,” Barbers said.
Submitted pictures, however, have already “launched a thousand ships”, and should not exempt investigation of Ace Barbers who is one of Martin Romualdez’ faithful allies, who seems to be still positioning to have moral ascendancy despite of whistles blowing in his direction.
As detractors commonly assert, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
To be continued.
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