Juan Luna’s “Mona Lisa,” officially known as “Una Bulaqueña,” goes on exhibition this week at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, in the Saadiyat Island cultural district of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

For many Filipinos, June 12 is a day of waving flags, grand speeches and declarations of patriotism. In San Juan, however, the annual Independence Day celebration carries a deeper resonance, rooted in ...