Deign Frolley Soriano, a biology teacher from the University of the Philippines Baguio and secretary of the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU), received a death threat message after he testified before the Baguio City Council on the devastating effects of cutting the remaining pine trees in the city. Soriano's research indicates that the current rate of deforestation in the city has increased temperatures in now-deforested areas, causing not only warmer temperatures in those areas but also the disappearance or decrease in population of endemic Baguio animal and plant species. The council conducted the hearings following the cutting of pine trees at Outlook Drive by Vista Residences, Incorporated, the condominium development arm of the Vista Land & Landscapes, headed by billionaire and former senator, Manny Villar. Reportedly, the death threat is directly linked to Soriano's research and the cutting trees operations.