An update on what happened:
In MNL, where my return journey began, the SQ check-in agent was initially convinced that we have no luggage allowance (3 out of 4 of the group are ST Elite+). Upon discussion with presumably a supervisor and inspecting our FFP cards, the 3 people who hold status were allowed to check-in their bags. However, due to a cancellation of the SIN-CDG, the layover in Singapore was now over 30 hours, and so we wanted our bags to be only checked to Singapore. That was not possible - it was either check them in to final destination, or pay ($100 I think). Luckily, all our bags except one were cabin-luggage sized, so after some repacking we managed just fine.