Short answer. Yes. If a drug dependent refuses the voluntary program, the law provides for compulsory confinement. On a petition by the Dangerous Drugs Board to the Regional Trial Court, a person found to be drug dependent can be ordered confined for treatment and rehabilitation — but only after a court hearing and medical examination.
What the law says
any person determined and found to be dependent on dangerous drugs shall, upon petition by the Board or any of its authorized representative, be confined for treatment and rehabilitation in any Center duly designated or accredited for the purpose.
RA 9165, Section 61 — Compulsory Confinement Of Drug Dependents. Read the full provision →
Compulsory confinement is provided for
The law answers this directly. It says "any person determined and found to be dependent on dangerous drugs shall, upon petition by the Board or any of its authorized representative, be confined for treatment and rehabilitation in any Center duly designated or accredited for the purpose." So refusing to volunteer does not put a dependent beyond the reach of treatment; it shifts the matter into a compulsory track. The purpose, though, is treatment and rehabilitation — the person is confined to a center to be helped, not sent to prison. The word running through the section is rehabilitation, not punishment.
It goes through a court, not a summary order
This is not something the police or the Board can do on their own say-so. A petition to confine the person is filed with the Regional Trial Court of the province or city where the person is found. The court then fixes a date for hearing by order, and a copy of that order must be served both on the person alleged to be dependent and on the one having charge of him. Those steps exist so the person knows a proceeding is under way and has the chance to take part, rather than simply being taken into a center.
Two doctors must confirm the dependency
The medical safeguard is central. If the facts warrant, the court orders the person examined by two physicians accredited by the Board. If both conclude that the person is not a drug dependent, the court must order the discharge. If either physician finds dependency, the court holds a hearing and weighs all relevant evidence before deciding. Only if the court itself finds the person to be a drug dependent does it issue an order committing him to a treatment and rehabilitation center under the supervision of the Department of Health. Confinement follows a judicial finding, not a mere accusation.
A fixed timetable, and its aim
The law does not let the process drag on indefinitely. It requires that the order — whether a discharge or a commitment — be issued not later than fifteen days from the filing of the petition. That keeps a person from being held in limbo while the question of dependency is decided. Read as a whole, the section balances two things: it makes treatment possible even for someone who will not volunteer, while surrounding that power with a court, medical examination, and a deadline. This is general information about how the process works, not advice on a specific case.