Francisco Pulgar Castillo

Juan Francisco Pulgar Castillo (born 27 May 1971) is a Chilean politician who currently serves as deputy.

Family and early life He was born in Talca on 27 May 1971, the son of Sergio Antonio Pulgar Espinoza and María Margarita Castillo Rojas.

He is married to Paula Sánchez Díaz.

Professional life Between 1990 and 1992, he studied at the Non-Commissioned Officers School of the Chilean Army, training as a military nurse. He later completed his professional internship at the Emergency Service of the Posta Central Hospital and the Department of Medicine of the same institution, finishing his clinical training in Traumatology at the Military Hospital of Santiago.

Shortly thereafter, he resigned from his military nursing career and applied to the Chilean Investigative Police academy, but was not admitted. He subsequently enrolled in a law degree at the Bernardo O'Higgins University, which he was forced to abandon due to financial difficulties. He later completed a course in building and condominium administration and began working as a security advisor for a business complex.

Between 2003 and 2008, he studied for a bachelor's degree in criminalistics at the Metropolitan Technological University (UTEM). In 2008, he completed a diploma in Corporate Integrated Security at the Bernardo O'Higgins University, and in 2009 a diploma in Citizen Security at the Alberto Hurtado University.

Since 2009, he has worked as general manager and private forensic expert at the company Criminalística SAV (Servicio de Atención a Víctimas). Alongside his professional work, he has participated as an analyst and commentator in various media outlets, including print, radio, and television. Among others, he has appeared as a panelist on the morning programme Mañaneros and the show Hora 20, both on La Red, as well as on Bienvenidos, broadcast by Canal 13.

Since 2013, he has been a member of the Defensores del Maule Association, an organization focused on environmental protection and the defense of water resources in the Maule River basin against hydroelectric projects in the region.

Political career He is an independent. He began his political career in 2017, when he ran as an independent candidate for the Chamber of Deputies of Chile in the 17th electoral district, under the Sumemos pact, which grouped centrist parties such as Amplitud, Red Liberal, and Citizens, which provided him with an electoral slot. In that election, he obtained 1.86% of the votes and was not elected.

In May 2021, he ran as an independent candidate for regional governor of the Maule Region. He obtained 83,692 votes, equivalent to 23.96% of the total votes cast, which allowed him to advance to the runoff election. He lost the second round after receiving 42.68% of the votes.

In November 2021, he was elected deputy for the 17th electoral district of the Maule Region, comprising the communes of Constitución, Curepto, Curicó, Empedrado, Hualañé, Licantén, Maule, Molina, Pelarco, Pencahue, Rauco, Río Claro, Romeral, Sagrada Familia, San Clemente, San Rafael, Talca, Teno, and Vichuquén. He was elected as an independent candidate on a slot provided by the United Centre party, as part of the Independientes Unidos pact, obtaining 23,066 votes, corresponding to 9.55% of the valid votes cast.

He later ran as an independent candidate for the Senate of Chile in the 9th senatorial constituency of the Maule Region in the parliamentary elections held on 16 November 2025. He was not elected, obtaining 39,127 votes, equivalent to 5.61% of the total votes cast.