Between 2002 and 2006, Haribon implemented a forest conservation project supported by the European Commission and BirdLife International in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. With the active participation of the local government and the Sablayan Penal and Prison Farm (SPPF), forest conservation was integrated into the local planning process.

In the past, some people were reluctant to enter the forest because they were afraid of running into prisoners. Now trained prisoners serve as forest guides in Siburan, able to find and identify birds for visitors, and guests sleep in a specially-built bungalow set on a broad lawn against the forest backdrop on the prison grounds.
Covering about 1,500 hectares, Siburan is the largest tract of intact lowland rainforest on Mindoro Island. Mindoro Island has been designated by BirdLife International as one of the world’s 12 most critical Endemic Bird Areas. Of the six bird species endemic to Mindoro Island, five are globally threatened, including the Mindoro Bleeding Heart Pigeon. 
Enter Super Yoyong, Superintendent of SPPF and super-hero of the Mindoro Bleeding Heart. Mario (Yoyong) Trasmonte is tough enough to manage over 1,300 low, medium and high security risk inmates and staff, and a penal farm with four subprisons in the Siburan Important Biodiversity Area, but a soft spot for endemic birds. The Mindoro Bleeding Heart Pigeon would have to fly far across the waters to find a custodian more committed than him.
This has not always been the case. Before his conservation conversion, like many other people living in and around the forest, Super Yoyong too would occasionally snare birds which—in addition to illegal logging, charcoal-making, and clearing patches for agriculture—constituted the primary threat to the species and their habitat.
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Then one day he invited a visiting ornithologist into his backyard to identify the birds caged there. He soon learned the value of the Mindoro Bleeding Heart Pigeon—as well as the exact body measurements and sexes of those three lucky birds, which he helped the ornithologist measure before setting them free. He also learned that the pigeon is named for the way the red spot on its chest seems to bleed when the bird struts and puffs its feathers out—“I saw it with my own eyes,” he says, his gaze softening behind his glasses.
Soon after Super Yoyong’s change of heart Haribon came to work in Sablayan, and by a stroke of luck, then-Assistant Superintendent Trasmonte was assigned by his boss to work with them on behalf of the prison. Through working with Haribon, Super Yoyong caught a chronic case of conservation fever, which he now passes on to all those around him. When he became superintendent in 2004, he ordered prisoners and employees to desist from snaring and hunting, or risk punishment. “Haribon has changed the hearts and minds of our penal farm. In the past we all did anti-environmental activities, but no longer. I want that all my prisoners and staff become conservationalists!” he declares.
What have been the concrete results of these changes in hearts and minds? Super reports that logging and other illegal activities in the farm are down about 90% from about 10 years ago. The prison farm now works with the DENR to conduct joint forest patrols with teams of prisoners, prison guards and forest guards on a regular basis. In case of any irregularities, such as smoke in the forest or freshly-cut tree stumps, they are prepared to respond immediately. The teams have already referred two cases of infraction to the police for prosecution—one of illegal logging and another of clearing forest for agriculture. Since the patrols and referrals, illegal activities have dramatically decreased.
Haribon capitalized on the decentralization of the Philippine government to build governance capacity of the “developed” LGUs while injecting a dose of conservation. Working with the DENR, municipal LGU, SPPF, and the barangays, Haribon started by conservation awareness-raising campaigns and disseminating educational materials, then went on to provide training in ecology, environmental law, and planning and management of forest, along with governance. To help build networks and broaden horizons of what was possible, Haribon sent staff and partners to conferences and arranged for cross-visits to other sites. Haribon believes that the key to successful conservation efforts in making people realize that there is something in it for them.

The name “Haribon” was coined from the words “haring ibon,” referring to the Philippine Eagle. The Philippine Eagle is the icon that signifies the importance of protecting biodiversity in the Philippine territory. Its presence is a constant reminder to the Filipinos to be continuously involved in taking care of our environment