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Lorenzo Sumulong Sr. (September 5, 1905 – October 21, 1997) was a Philippines lawyer and politician who served in the Philippine Senate for four decades, and as a delegate of his country to the United Nations. He was noted for having engaged in a debate with Nikita Khrushchev at the United Nations General Assembly that (allegedly) provoked the Soviet Union Premier to bang his shoe on a desk.
During his 21-year stint as senator, Sumulong became the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accountability (also known as the Blue Ribbon Committee). Through that high-profile position, he investigated noted national controversies such as the Tambobong-Buenavista Estate deal and the Harry Stonehill scandals.
Khrushchev was incensed by Sumulong's remarks. He denounced the Filipino senator as "a jerk, a stooge and a lackey of imperialism". Khrushchev then took out his shoe, waved it at Sumulong, then banged the shoe on the desk in front of him. The following day, Khrushchev acknowledged that he had offended Sumulong but also asserted that he was likewise offended by the delegate from the Philippines.
Lorenzo is the father of Victor Sumulong, who served as congressman and mayor of Antipolo during the Joseph Estrada and Arroyo administrations.
Faceoff with Khrushchev
Sumulong also served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, and in that capacity, he led a Philippine delegation to the 902nd Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in 1960. During that meeting, Sumulong took the floor and delivered the following remarks challenging the Soviet Union to allow the people of Eastern Europe the free exercise of their civil and political rights.
Later life
Sumulong's service in Congress ended in 1972, with the abolition of the Philippine Senate upon the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos. In 1987, President Corazon Aquino named her maternal uncle Lorenzo (sister was Demetria Sumulong Cojuangco) to the Philippine Constitutional Commission of 1986 that drafted the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
Personal life
Sumulong was married to Estrella Rodriguez and had six children. By way of Francisco Sumulong (born 1695), Sumulong is the fifth cousin thrice removed of Senator Jose W. Diokno, a descendant of Doña Demetria Sumulong y Lindo who moved from Antipolo to Daraga, Albay and Governor-General Felix Berenguer de Marquina.
Categories: Presidents Pro Tempore Of The Senate Of The Philippines, 20th-century Filipino Lawyers, People From Antipolo, University Of The Philippines Alumni, Harvard Law School Alumni, 1905 Births, 1997 Deaths, Senators Of The 7th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 6th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 5th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 4th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 3rd Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 2nd Congress Of The Philippines, Liberal Party Politicians, Nacionalista Party Politicians, Popular Front Politicians, Members Of The Philippine Constitutional Commission Of 1986
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