Section 3. Definition of Terms. —
Person. — As used in this Act, person shall include not only natural persons but also juridical persons such as corporation, partnership, company or association duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or the Bureau of Commerce.
Private Detective Agency. — A private detective agency is any person, who, for hire or reward or on commission, conducts or carries on or holds himself or itself out as conducting or carrying on a detective agency, or detective service.
Private Detective. — A private detective is any person who is not a member of a regular police agency of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who does detective work for hire, reward, or commission.
Watchman or Security Guard; Watchman or Security Guard Agency. — Any person who offers or renders personal service to watch or secure either residential or business establishment, or both, or any building, compound, area, including, but not limited to, logging concessions, agricultural, mining or pasture lands, for hire or compensation, or as an employee thereof, including any employee of the national or local governments or any agency or instrumentality thereof and of government-owned or controlled firms or corporations, who is employed to watch or secure government buildings, compounds, premises and other properties, other than members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, guards of the Bureau of Prisons, provincial and city jail guards, and members of city and municipal police forces, shall be known as watchman or security guard; and any person, association, partnership, firm or private corporation, who/which recruits, trains, furnishes, or employs any watchman or security guard, or solicits individual, business firms, private, public or government-owned or controlled corporations to engage his/its service or those of his/its watchmen or security guards, shall be known as Watchman or Security Guard Agency.
The watchman or security guard herein defined shall be referred to specifically as private security guard, company guard and government guard when employed by private security agencies, company guard forces of private firms and government entities, respectively.
License or License Certificate. — A document issued to a person by competent authority allowing such person to establish, direct, manage, operate the business or occupation of private detective or intelligence and private watchman or security agency.