Lorenzo Sumulong

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Lorenzo Sumulong (September 5, 1905 – October 21, 1997) was a Filipino delegate to the United Nations. It was his question to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev during a UN conference in 1960 that resulted in Khrushchev famously removing his shoe and making a move to bang it on the table. Sumulong's question implied Soviet hypocrisy in condemning Western imperialism during a period in which the Soviets themselves were creating a bloc of puppet states in Eastern Europe. Kruschev's response was to call Sumulong a "a jerk, a stooge and a lackey of imperialism".

Sumulong was born in Manila, Philippines. He finished law at the University of the Philippines and went on to top the 1929 bar examinations. On July 4, 1946, the Philippines became an independent state. During the elections for the Philippine legislature that year, Sumulong was elected congressman. Having distinguished himself as an outstanding legislator, Sumulong was subsequently elected senator in 1949. He was reelected as senator of the republic three more times: in 1955, 1961, and 1969.

During his long stint as senator, Sumulong became well known as the chairman of the Senate Committee on public accountability also more popularly known as the Blue Ribbon Committee that masterfully investigated national controversies such as the Tambobong-Buenavista Estate deal and the Harry Stonehill scandals. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, he led a Philippine delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in 1960 where the famous "debate" with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev took place.

Sumulong was a member of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Philippine Constitution. He died on October 21, 1997 at the age of 92.