ABSTRACT Marriage is a social institution that unites people in a special form of mutual dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family (Omobola, 2013). In the year 2016, about 2% of the Philippine's total population were already married at the age of 15 and 15% were married at the age of 18. Many of these marriages, where one or both partners were below 18 years, took place in poor, rural areas, where norms are tolerating, if not encouraging. The practice is common. The purpose of this study is to know the lived experiences of female Badjao who entered into early marriages. Badjao is a tribal group in the Philippines, also known as the Sea Gypsies.The study made use of the phenomenological approach, particularly transcendental approach, to have a better understanding of their lived- experiences as teenage wives. Self-made open-ended questions were raised during interview using interview guide. The study was conducted in Barangay Tambacan with majority of Badjao residents in Iligan City. Respondents were purposively selected based on the following criteria: (1) Badjao women who have been married at the age of 13-18; (2) married for at least 5 years; and (3) willing to participate in this study.Using thematic analysis, three solid themes emerged: (1) early marriage is dictated by culture and tradition, (2) early marriage inspired by love and intimacy, and (3) early marriage is pushed by security for basic needs. Most participants were propelled into marriage because of culture and tradition, parental pleasure and age. They fear no one would marry them at an older age. Participants perceived marriage as two people who love each other, however, some participants expressed that they opt to marry with the thought that their partners will be able to sustain their basic needs. Most participants were contented of their lives marrying at a young age. The data suggests that Badjaos need support, services and assistance in all areas of their daily living. Keywords: Badjao, Early Marriage, Phenomenology, Philippines INTRODUCTION Background of the study Marriage is a social institution that unites people in a special form of mutual dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family (Omobola, 2013). Many societies have norms that limit the age of young girls to enter into marriage, but in some cases the age limits are not taken into consideration when related to the physiological readiness for child bearing(Giday, 2006). Marriage often takes place at ages much earlier than the legally ratified minimum age. Early marriage is the marriage of children and adolescents below the age of 18 years. In several cultures, girls are forced to be married at a very early age due to various reasons such as getting dowry, the fear of some parents that their daughters would get pregnant while at home, and so on (Dhital, 2000). In the Philippines, 2% of the total population were already married at the age of 15 and 15% were married at the age of 18.Many early marriages in rural area takes place because of poverty where one or both the partners are below 18 years (Hotchkiss,Godha & Gage, 2013). There are various factors contributing to the existence of early marriage including male dominance, parents' ignorance and social forces (Ahmed et al ., 2014). According to Loaiza & Wong (2012), early marriage is most likely to occur among girls who are poor, have low education level, and live in rural areas. It denies girls opportunities to be educated and build life skills, separates them from family and friends, compromises their ability to assume health promotion practices and seek timely care, and enhances their vulnerability to considerable health and social problems (Chanra-Mouli et al. , 2013; Dickens, 2015; Sabbe et al ., 2013; Santhya, 2011). Early marriage put teenagers at risk because they are not fully physically developed to care for pregnancy. Early marriage results in early and frequent child birth LIVED EXPERIENCES OF BADJAO FEMALE WHO ENTERED EARLY MARRIAGE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY Abdullah Junior S. Mangarun * , Llana Almira A. Agao-Agao, Duchess Raeven A. Gimena, Arreane T. Tumanda College of Nursing, Mindanao State Universty-Iligan Institute of Technology, Philippines * Corresponding Author's Email: abdullahjr.mangarun@g.msuiit.edu.ph doi: 10.31674/mjmr.2018.v02i04.005 39 | Vol. 2 (4) OCTOBER 2018 | Malaysian Journal of Medical Research