Originally Posted by A_Lee

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One possible reason for the check-in agent's reluctance to issue you a boarding pass is due to the fact that if a passenger is allowed on the plane and does not have a valid onward ticket, and the Philippine immigration checks (which I've never seen them actually do), the airline will be heavily fined, and the worker will likely be fined by the airline or lose her job if she issued the boarding pass. So if there's any question in the mind of the check-in staff about if you have a valid onward ticket, they don't want to accept responsibility for the decision, and thus the need to have a supervisor approve it. I was refused boarding many years ago on one of my first trips to the Philippines and ended up having to purchase a refundable onward ticket. Most airlines flying into the Philippines are quite strict about this....