MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) British banking giant HSBC said Wednesday it had room to expand the capacity of its business process outsourcing (BPO) centers in the Philippines, but there were no immediate plans to do so.

This contradicts an earlier statement by HSBC Philippine country manager Mark Watkinson, who said the bank planned to add 1,000 new jobs at its BPO unit in the Quezon City suburb in the capital over the next 12 to 18 months.

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"HSBC Electronic Data Processing Philippines has the flexibility to increase the capacity of its service to HSBC Group operations," the bank said in a statement from Hong Kong. "This does not mean to say the capacity is set to be utilized."

HSBC employs 7,000-8,000 workers in the Philippines, including employees at two BPO units.

The bank announced a total of 2,100 job cuts at its main banking operations globally since September.